The Meaning of My Existence
by ImaginaryFlower
Summary: The vocal android known as 001 Hatsune Miku has encountered a problem in her systems. A virus. As a result, she must be shut down and rebooted. But her emotions database takes a blow and leaves her with little to no emotions, as well as memory loss. The other Vocaloids find creative ways for her to gain her memories and emotional data back, but maybe she doesn't want to change.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! I have no idea what I am doing! I randomly found this really old fanfiction in a notebook and decided to post it. I also posted another copy to a different site, but I changed their names so it wouldn't be a fanfiction. So if you accidently see the names "Kuro", "Kona" or "Kimi" anywhere, tell me and I'll change it to the correct name. In any case, I hope you enjoy the story!**

"Master! Master!"

"Akira, sir! Master Akira! Help us!"

The young man awoke to the worried faces of none other than the Kagamines, the blond-haired, blue eyed troublemakers. They were mere inches away from his face, which made the man rather uncomfortable. He didn't know these androids very well just yet, and having awoken to them crushing his stomach did not make for a grand start to their new relationship.

"Help! Please!" Len (he thought it was Len, he wasn't really sure which twin was which (whose bright idea was it to make twin androids anyway?)) exclaimed urgently, " Miku-nee collapsed!"

"Her emergency shut-down was activated!" Rin added, almost in tears as she explained, "W-we don't know what happened!"

"What are you two on about?" Akira asked, attempting to sit up. The twins slid aside, matching faces overflowing with desperation. "Is this another one of your tricks?"

"Absolutely not! We wouldn't- we couldn't- not about Miku!" Rin started crying, and Akira felt a little guilty.

"Alright. Where's Miku, then?" he asked, sliding into his slippers. The two teenaged androids jumped off his bed and grabbed his hands, dragging him out of his warm room and into the chilly hall. He truthfully had no idea where these two weirdos were taking him, seeing as he had only been living in this ridiculously large mansion for about four days. For all he knew, they were going to go lock him in some musty old dungeon. Did the mansion even have a dungeon? It wouldn't exactly surprise him if it did.

You see, even though Akira was the master of this house, as well as its inhuman occupants, it was a recently acquired position. In other words, he was a total newbie. The fact that he was the master still confused him, mainly because he had no idea why his late grandfather, the old Master and creator of these teenaged androids, had chosen him to be the one to inherit the position. Akira wasn't very good with technology. Hell, he could barely hold a steady job before he came to live here. Why would his grandfather entrust a multimillion dollar estate, let alone androids, to someone like Akira?

Maybe the old guy was a few notes short of a song or something. Seeing as he was in charge of singing androids, he felt the music reference was quite appropriate.

"Here, Master!" Len exclaimed as the three of them entered one of the four TV rooms in this ridiculously large mansion.

Akira saw the figure of a rather delicate, small girl lying on the floor, her long teal hair tangled around her. Even Akira could remember her name. Miku. The first android ever created, the most advanced technology in the world, worth approximately 2.6 billion dollars, not including her various software and downloads. All wrapped up in the skin of a sixteen-year-old girl.

"Miku!" Rin gasped, "She still hasn't woken up! I- I thought... maybe-"Rin was having trouble talking around her heavy breath and shaking limbs, "She m-might've been p-playing a mean joke on us." In Akira's honest opinion, Rin was being dramatic. But what did he know?

Len wrapped an arm around his older android twin. "Breathe, Rin. Akira will help."

This blind trust these androids had for him was starting to make Akira uncomfortable. If he was anyone else, he might've taken advantage of it. Nevertheless, he knelt beside Miku and poked the girl's forehead. There was a reason for this childish action. Akira had in fact pushed a button that activated Miku's backup system response, designed for situations just like this one. A robotic voice, edging more to the female range, spoke loudly above Rin's heavy breathing.

"Password?" It asked.

"Iloveleaks," Akira replied, quickly. He felt like an idiot, repeating such a weird password. Then again, Miku had chosen her own password, so why should he feel stupid?

"Password accepted." The voice informed him, "Further instructions required."

"Run a system scan." Akira ordered. Okay, he wasn't a complete newbie. He had at least read the handbooks made for each of the androids. Well, actually he had read them about ten times each, fearing any sort of future mistake. But that didn't mean he had any qualifications for this weird job.

"Yes, master." The voice replied. A full ten seconds went by, filled with increasing worry, as the scan was taking place. After those ten seconds, the voice stated in its unemotional way, "Danger found. Rogue virus detected. Class five, code red. Of unknown origin."

Akira froze. Even he could understand something like this was the worst possible thing. "Ah," he began, for lack of a better response as his eyes found Rin and Len, who seemed to have both stopped breathing. It wasn't like they needed to, but Akira didn't like how they might react.

"Can you isolate it?" He asked, trying his best to follow the standard protocol (which was hard to remember since it hadn't exactly been written for the average person to understand), but he didn't have much hope it would do any good.

"Negative. Virus has caused protection software to crash."

"Well, hell," he muttered, wondering how that was even possible. Miku had the most advanced virus protection software in the world!

...Unless...

She had forgotten to update it.

Akira waved this thought away. Something like that was the equivalent to android suicide.

"What other systems have been damaged?" Akira asked, staring at Miku's face. The teal-haired android wasn't breathing, he noticed.

"Memory hard-drive, emotions database, and recognition software."

Akira knew this wasn't good, even if he didn't know why it wasn't good.

"Options?" He asked.

"Complete system rewrite."

Which was just a way of saying 'forced restart' in fancy sciency-robot language. Akira knew that if you did that to a computer, you'd lose data that you didn't save first. Did Miku have unsaved data? She wasn't a computer, but she did get a virus just like a computer would. So maybe she was just a really advanced computer. Akira was confusing himself by this point.

"Second option?"

"Uninstall Miku 001 file from the network."

Wait-

That would mean...

Delete Miku?

At this point, Rin started sobbing in an insanely uncontrollable way, huge tears rolling down her red cheeks. Even Len looked ready to follow his twin's example. Akira had no idea what to do, but whatever he did, he couldn't and wouldn't delete Miku. It was basically like killing her. He couldn't live with that.

"Third option?" He asked desperately. His glasses had fallen down the bridge of his nose, and he shoved them back into place quickly.

"None available." The voice replied. "Although there is a .000032% chance of error."

Akira felt sick. How could this happen? He had barely been the Master for a total of a week, yet somehow Miku was already in danger of being deleted. How could he fail so badly?

"Standby." The voice suddenly said. "Emergency backup systems have been infected. Complete shutdown in ten seconds."

"Wait!" Akira exclaimed in shock, "D-don't d-do that!"

Think, you worthless idiot! You have ten second to make a decision or Miku gets shut down. And she probably won't wake up! Akira yelled at himself.

"Seven-"

"Six-"

"Five-"

"Force system rewrite!" Akira shouted at the voice, his brain muddled with worry, confusion and self-loathing.

"Command accepted. Beginning rewrite." The voice buzzed out as Miku's eyes flashed red below the lids. A countdown appeared on the front of her outfit, right on the pocket of her cute white blouse. All of the androids had specially made clothes with electronic chips implanted in them, just in case they ever got lost or kidnapped.

"Three hours," Akira muttered. "We'll just have to see what this does to her."


	2. Chapter 2

**Another short chapter... Ah well. I hope it's decent.**

/

Laying in a blissful, dark peace. This is what she found herself doing. It was nice, this escape from reality. Maybe she could just stay here for a while. To be able to drown in this state of relaxation. It might do her some good.

Worry pressed against her as she thought these things. Was she forgetting something? It might be important, after all. If she was forgetting anything in the first place. She couldn't just leave all those forgotten things to continue this blissful, unconcerned existence. Could she? Would it be all right?

She giggled gently, attempting to reassure herself. _I'm sure it's fine,_ she told herself. No one else could tell her such things.

_Fine?_ a voice asked her, weaving its lovely magic around her,_ How can you say that? Just listen, and hear that nothing is fine. _

She blinked, feeling her long lashes trail against her cheeks. Her ears strained to hear something, anything, from the darkness around her.

_I don't know what you mean,_ she let out a gentle breath after her short-lived attempt_, I can't hear anything. _

_Listen closer,_ the voice told her, and it was snickering. At her? With her? She didn't know, but the snicker didn't sound kind.

Her eyes widened as she heard crying.

_Crying?_ she wondered, _Who's crying? There's no one here_.

_You can't recognize the voice? Some friend you are. _

Anxiously, she sat up and looked around. It was dark through and through, painted the color of a moonless night sky. It was empty, and she couldn't even tell what force held her up, away from the crushing darkness below. And above. And virtually everywhere else.

_Who? Who is it?_ Her thoughts raced, but bringing forth any faces from the depths of her mind just caused pain. An electric shock course through her body from the center of her head, and a scream erupted from chapped lips.

Placing her head in her hands, she felt her hair spiral around her as she sobbed.

_I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It hurts far too much_, she moaned.

The voice hissed a cruel laugh, cold air hitting her shoulder as something knelt behind her, whispering in her ear. Her eyes were wide, spilling tears down her face and into her open palms.

_It's a pity. That memory of yours is useless, even after I tried so hard to save it for you. Too bad. I might have gotten a bit of gratitude,_ the chilly words shook through her, a knife against paper. All of this was so confusing, so depressingly strange. The feeling that everything was slowly crushing her overwhelmed the delicate girl, causing her sobs to grow more frantic.

_Shh, dearest. I'm sure everything can work out,_ the voice changed slightly as these words escaped into the darkness, and the thing leaning to whisper in her ear wrapped its arms around her in a hug.

_It's not as if you need anyone, anyway. _

That was the sentence she was left with, the sound of it repeating over and over in her head, ringing against the inside of her skull. The rattling words broke against her eyes, and she screamed at the pain as she was engulfed in darkness, unable to see or breathe or speak. Sound vanished, and her heartbeat disappeared like a bird released to the air. Her eyes wanted to open, but a blindfold held them closed, darkness pressing painfully against her vision.

_Make it stop!_ Her own shrieks echoed soundlessly within her own skull, unable to be released. It was driving her mad, being stuck inside herself this way, with no senses in use.

And, suddenly, quietly, quickly, the crushing darkness vanished. Waves of calm white drifted over her as she slowly opened her eyes. But something was wrong. What it was, she couldn't quite determine, but something was deeply, certainly wrong.

She glanced around, and notice she was settled in a bed. It was quite comfortable, her head relaxed deeply into the soft feather pillows. Her arms lay on the blankets on either side of her, palms upturned slightly.

She blinked as she heard a noise. It was the sound of faint, muffled crying. She turned her head to where the sound was coming from. A small, pale-haired girl sat in a chair next to her bed, her face pressing into her hands. A boy, very similar to her in looks, had a delicate arm wrapped around her, an equal look of worry and sadness staining rather cute features.

"M-miku-nee!" the boy stuttered, glancing up as her eyes found his.

"Miku-nee? Am I Miku-nee?" she asked, examining one of hands carefully. It didn't feel like hers. Her skin wasn't fitting right, and it bothered her. Not nearly enough to mention it, but it was vaguely uncomfortable.

"Yeah. Android Hatsune Miku 001. That's your full title. I-is something wrong?" the boy asked, taking the hand she had been examining, "Did you forget?"

"I suppose... I have," she stated, blandly, staring at him curiously.

"Miku-nee? Is there something wrong with your eyes? They're all narrowed, and you look kind of... bored," the boy's light eyes stared intently at her, probing her face.

"I don't see the problem," she replied, her hand limp in his grasp.

The crying girl whimpered. Her large, tired eyes hung onto hers as she removed her face from her hands.

"Rinny, go get Master Akira. Something is wrong here," the boy told the girl, who jumped in surprise, and then nodded shakily. She stood and ran clumsily from the room, tripping on the rug below and barely managing to save herself from a harsh fall.

Turning back to her, the boy grasped her hand tightly, unwilling to let go.

"Can you remember anything? Anything at all?"

"No."

"Not a single detail?"

"No."

She knew that her reaction to this discovery was all wrong. Somehow, she knew the proper response would involve tears, perhaps confusion. But it was all gone, save for a slight curiosity she held. The feeling was dull and bland, an injured bird beating against the iron bars of its cage.

To break the silence that had settled around them, she asked a question. It seemed the right thing to do, for some reason.

"Tell me again, what was the name you called me by?"

The boy's eyes, a pair of deep, colorless orbs, radiated sadness as he replied, "Miku. Your name is Miku."


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow. I'm so sorry, everyone. I've been really focused on my two other stories. I've been working on this story for about a year now (it's one of my oldest fanfictions), but I keep hitting roadblocks. I've finally settled down to type up this chapter. Maybe it will please someone.**

**Anyway, I wasn't planning on including pairings in this. Just hinted/cutesy friendship stuff. There might be a bit of LenxMiku, RinxLen, MikuxMikuo, NeruxLen/Mikuo, GumixLen, TeixLen, RukoxTeto, AkaitoxMikuo, ReixMiku, KaitoxMeiko, TeixMiku (LOL what?), and, as much as I hate oc romance, AkiraxLuka. If anyone wants to see something special that hasn't been mentioned, I'll consider it. **

**Thanks to the two people who reviewed a really long time ago! I appreciate feedback and suggestions.**

**I'm going to go hide in a corner now and contemplate my failure as an author. Hope you enjoy the chapter.**

**/**

The man known as Master Akira had explained everything to her. Miku, as she was called, felt far less confused. The fact that she couldn't remember herself, a Vocal Android (Vocaloid for short) known as Hatsune Miku, didn't seem to bother her all that much. Maybe it was because that, aside from mild curiosity, she hadn't really been able to "feel." With emotions, that is. Her fake nerve endings seemed to be working just fine.

After Miku had listened to Master Akira explain all this, she was dragged away by the pair of identical people with light hair and large eyes. She couldn't remember their names for the life of her.

"Okay, Miku-nee!" the female exclaimed, seating Miku on a couch in one of the many sitting rooms that were in this house. Miku had already been shown a map of the place; it was huge. There was no way she'd be able to navigate it. "Len and I are going to help you remember!"

Miku stared blankly at the girl, who turned to her companion. "Len." That was his name.

"Come on, banana boy. It's not like you have anything else to do," the female pointed out. Len shrugged, a very cold look placed on his face. Was that disappointment Miku read in those colorless eyes? The girl, however, seemed satisfied with his response and ignored the negative look he had. She smiled and sat next to Miku, turning her thin body to attend to the teal-haired android.

"Alright, Miku-nee. We're going to start with everyone's names. Lenny, can you get one of the photo albums?" the girl requested.

From the grumble that escaped him, Miku decided Len would much rather be somewhere else at the moment. However, the boy didn't hesitate to leave the room briefly, coming back with a thick, wide book clutched in his hands. His female look-alike snatched it from him with a smile of thanks, flipping the book so Miku was the one looking at it. She sat silently as the girl with the white bow opened the cover, revealing the first page. Three pictures lay behind thin plastic, warm faces looking up at her, caught in time.

"Let's start here," the other girl decided, putting a finger to the first picture. A single, lone girl stood under a tree, a stuffed rabbit hanging from her right hand as the other placed itself firmly against the bark of the tall, shady tree. Her eyes were intense and fierce, her light hair fanning around her body and catching the light of the sun, despite being in the shade.

"This is Mayu. She's one of the most recent Vocaloids," the girl smiled as Miku carefully examined the picture. The pig-tailed girl gave no sign she was ready to continue. Nevertheless, the girl quickly moved on to the next picture. This contained more people than before. A pig-tailed girl with cold eyes stood between two others, who held similar looks of cockiness and cruelty on their faces. Their clothes were revealing, dark, something she hadn't encountered before.

"These are the Haganes. We call them the 'H-side.' That's Hagane Miku in the middle. She's based off you, but you could say she's 'metal Miku.' The two next to her are Hagane Rin and Len," the girl explained rapidly, pointing to each person in turn, "They were based off of Len and me."

Miku studied the three in the picture for a moment, tracing a finger over the one they called Hagane Miku. Did they look similar? Miku didn't know; she hadn't yet seen herself.

"So," Miku began, surprising both twins. She didn't look up at either of them as she spoke in a quiet, soft voice, empty of all emotion, "You're Rin."

Rin smiled happily. "Yeah! That's me, Kagamine Rin."

Miku nodded once. Her eyes slid from the picture of the Haganes to a picture of two new people. A tall woman with short, dark hair had an arm slung around a man who was only a bit taller. She looked rather… What was that word she wanted to use?

"Drunk," Miku whispered. Neither twin heard her.

"The woman is Meiko. The man she's tormenting is Kaito. They're the oldest Japanese Vocaloids, even if they act like children," Rin explained, a fond smile folding across her lips, "You'll meet them soon enough."

This continued for a while. By the end, faces and names spun through Miku in a jumbled mess. The girl with pink pigtails… She was named Haku, right? No, that wasn't right. Haku was… Was she the one with silver hair? Miku had no idea. This was all so confusing, really. But no one would be mad at her for forgetting their names. They shouldn't be. It was illogical.

It was hours later that a young girl with dark pigtails pulled behind her ears found them with instructions to join the others for dinner. If the child meant all of "the others," there was no way they'd be able to fit around a table. Miku knew that much. There were so many Vocaloids. On top of all the Vocaloids, there were Pitchloids and UTAUloids and God knows what else. Funny. An android using a word like God.

"Here, Miku-nee. We'll show you the way," Len offered, the first words he had spoken since after she had awoken. Did he dislike her? Maybe that explained the look of distaste curling across his lips.

Miku nodded once in agreement. The twins lead her down hallways and through doorways, passed windows and paintings. The rug beneath, placed over the smooth, wooden floor was soft below her feet. Soft. That was a feeling. How was it different from emotions? Miku didn't understand anything. It was all so confusing and jumbled. She didn't even know what she was supposed to feel.

But there was a feeling, settled deep in her stomach, clinging to her mind. She couldn't identify it, but it was powerful. So very, very powerful. Until Miku knew what it was, she couldn't try to escape it.

"This is the dining room," Rin told her as she opened the door before them. Beyond the solid wood, Miku saw a long table. A very long table. Many people were settled in chairs along it, chatting and generally making noise. Her entrance didn't spark a sudden silence. Not that she expected it to.

"Sit wherever you want. We have to go collect more people for dinner," Rin instructed, pushing her forcefully towards the table. Miku blinked once as the twins turned and left.

There were a surprising number of spots left. On one end of the table, Miku recognized Master Akira, who was busy talking in a quiet voice to a pink-haired female. She had seen that woman in pictures. Luka, she believed. Megurine Luka. She looked intelligent and kind, but Miku didn't know why the woman seemed that way. Maybe it was her eyes.

Miku glanced around and decided she really didn't want to stand much longer. She took the closest seat to her, along the edge of the table. She was next to a girl with goggles perched atop her mass of messy hair. The girl seemed deep in conversation with the person next to her, a man (?) with long, neat hair. On Miku's other side, the right, sat a small girl with long, pale hair. She seemed far more interested in her fork than anything else.

Miku remembered something Rin had told her earlier.

"_Try talking to people,"_ she had said with a warm smile, "_Many will be more than willing to help you remember."_

Miku didn't hesitate to turn to the silent girl on her right. Her eyes scanned her closely. Miku gathered in her loose sweater and schoolgirl skirt, laid smoothly against her legs. She was small, delicate, almost doll-like, with long lashes and pale lips. Her eyes were filled with an emotion Miku didn't know or understand. The girl's eyes slid to the side to meet Miku's own. Instantly, she became defensive, eyes narrowing.

"What are you looking at?" she demanded, her voice shaking a bit. Shaking? Was that fear Miku saw? Was this girl… Afraid? Of _her?_

"Hello," Miku greeted, blandly. What next? 'Hi, I'm Miku. I can't remember your name, sorry.' Even Miku understood that would be weird.

The girl seemed a bit stunned. "What?"

"I said 'hello,'" Miku replied, "Was that not an appropriate greeting?"

Those fear-filled eyes became cold and suspicious.

"I don't know what you're trying to pull, Hatsune-sama, but it isn't fooling me," the girl hissed, almost hesitantly.

"Excuse me," Miku began, "I don't understand what you mean. Why did you call me 'sama?' I'm not anyone's master."

The girl blinked, looking at her dead on.

"What's wrong with you?" she demanded, "You're… Actually talking to me."

Miku became even more confused by this. "I don't understand."

The girl looked irritated now. "You're Hatsune Miku. You don't talk to UTAUloids. You don't talk to girls who chase after your boyfriend. You're better than them, after all."

"You're an UTAUloid? Isn't that just a branch of Vocaloid?" Miku asked, growing steadily more confused, "What's… A boyfriend? What is that?"

"Have you become an idiot over night?" the girl hissed, "UTAUs and Vocaloids are different. Don't act like you don't know that."

_But I don't,_ Miku internally protested, _I don't understand anything you're saying._

"It's… I…" Miku began, "I'm just confused. I'm sorry."

That seemed to be the last thing the other girl could take. "Did… You just apologize to me?"

Miku blink steadily. Once. Twice. A third time. "Yes?"

"There really is something wrong with you," the girl muttered.

Suddenly, Miku felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Rin, who had a cold look on her face.

"You don't have to sit here, Miku-nee," the female twin reassured her, ignoring the existence of the girl next to Miku, "Come sit by Iroha."

"I don't want to move," Miku replied, "I just sat down."

"Miku-nee," Rin repeated, her voice gaining an interesting tone, as if she was speaking to a child, "You don't want to sit there. That's Sukone Tei next to you."

"I don't know who that is," Miku reminded Rin blandly, "I don't know who Iroha is. I don't know who you are. Leave me alone and let me discover things on my own."

Rin looked hurt. Her eyes dulled noticeably, becoming less bright and energetic. Without another word, the girl left, the two girls who had been talking moments before glancing to each other as she walked away. Sukone Tei, as Rin had called her, looked Miku over. A small, curious smile spread over her lips.

"Well, Hatsune Miku," she said, "There certainly is something different about you. No use denying it. You've changed."

Miku didn't care to elaborate, so she just nodded.


	4. Chapter 4

Dinner began when everyone finally arrived. The meal was brought in by a number of servants, who bowed themselves away and left the room. Before anyone could begin eating, Master Akira called the attention of those seated around the table. He seemed nervous. Maybe addressing people wasn't a skill he had, Miku decided.

"A few of you have already heard about the incident involving Hatsune Miku that occurred earlier. But I've decided it would be best to announce it to everyone," the master cleared his throat, "Hatsune Miku had to be restarted earlier. She no longer has any of her previous memories or any emotions that we've seen. I hope that everyone will be able to help her remember."

A general murmur rose before he had finished. This seemed to ignore one of the women sitting by his. Miku recognized her from one of the photos. Meiko. That was Meiko.

"Alright, ya disrespectful jerks! Why don't ya finish listening before spreading your gossip!?" the woman demanded as she stood, hands on her hips. Everyone immediately fell silent. "That's good! Ya should be scared. Now, stop yammering and let the Master say what he needs to."

Miku watched as the master thanked Meiko, who waved away his thanks. He turned back to the seated androids. "As far as we know, Miku will be unable to record until her songs are redownloaded into her database. Until that time, there will be no concerts and everyone will have to work to cover her absence."

A collective groan rose, and a few of the androids shot Miku glares. She felt that was unfair. It wasn't her fault. Then again, she didn't really care what they thought. It just wasn't logical to blame her. It wasn't her fault she had gotten a virus. It wasn't her fault she had lost her memories and data.

With no show of emotion, Miku ignored the glares, staring evenly up at her master. It wasn't his fault, either. The old master would have done the same thing, she reasoned. If he was logical, he would've. Miku would also do as her master had, if placed in his position.

"So that's what's wrong," Tei spoke up beside her, shooting Miku a look of interest, "This should be a nice experience."

"I don't know what you mean by that," Miku stated.

"Well," Tei began, "You are the most popular Vocaloid. You fund a lot of the things that go on in this house. Your paycheck lets us live like humans, basically. Not even the Kagamines and Luka over there make as much at you. I'm not sure how we'll manage without that."

"Someone else can step up," Miku replied blandly, "I'm sure we'll be fine." _But it won't make a difference to me whether I live here or on the streets._

"Good point," Tei agreed, thoughtfully, "Well, I'm hungry. Time to eat."

Miku watched as the girl dug her fork into her food. Miku couldn't recognize what it was, struggling to search for the word in her head. Finally, she gave up.

"What?" Tei asked, noticing Miku's stare, "Aren't you going to eat?"

Miku blinked once. "Why would I need to eat? I'm not a human."

"Doesn't mean you can't eat. It tastes good," Tei shrugged, shoving another mouthful into her open jaws.

Miku played with the idea of taking a bite as she picked up her fork. Examining her food, she attempted to picked up on of the… It was a tomato, right?

Stabbing the fork through the red orb, Miku held it to eye level. Raising it to her mouth, she hesitated before letting the tomato touch her tongue. Finally, she let her arm fall, placing her fork on the edge of her plate.

"I… Don't think I'm hungry," Miku admitted, folding her arms in her lap. Tei looked at her for a moment, swallowing.

"Then don't eat," the girl replied. Miku nodded in agreement, staring down at her plate with eyes of steel.

The pig-tailed girl spoke up after a moment. "Why would you try to act human?"

Tei coughed a bit at the sudden question. Miku had said it just loud enough to attract the attention of the androids seated around her. Their ears were now pricked and ready to listen.

"We just do," Tei replied, "We look like humans. We were designed to seem as human as possible. So why shouldn't we act human, too?"

Miku thought for a moment. "Humans are weak," she decided, "I don't want to be a human."

Tei glanced around, feeling glares centered on them. Angrily, she stabbed her fork at Miku. "Listen here, sugar queen, that's really insensitive. Don't just go around saying things like that."

"I don't understand. None of this makes sense," Miku shook her head, "It's so odd. An android is an android, and a human is a human. You shouldn't try to act like something you aren't."

Miku didn't feel the cold glares on her. She didn't even notice that people were angry until the boy across from her directed his next sentence at her.

"Why don't you shut up?" he spat coldly. Miku glanced up, examining him. He had interesting eyes. Cold and hard, fringed by dark lashes. His hair was messy and dark, as though he had just rolled out of bed.

"Have I said something wrong?" Miku asked dully.

"Hell yeah, you have!" he accused, letting his fork rest on his plate. The girl next to him, who looked very similar save for her expression, which was worried, attempted to settle him down, whispering in his ear. He ignored her.

"If you don't know what you're talking about, you shouldn't say anything at all!" he snapped.

"Is that how it works?" Miku asked, confused.

"Yo, Rei. Why don't you be quiet and mind your own business? It's pretty obvious she doesn't understand anything we're talking about," Tei defended her. If Miku could, she would feel surprised. As it was, she recognized the risk the girl was taking. An UTAU defending a Vocaloid. Miku gathered that such things didn't happen often.

"That's why she should shut up," Rei tossed back. Miku disliked this banter already.

"Okay," she agreed, "I'll be quiet."

Tei put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't put up with his crap. Stand up for yourself."

Rei growled. "Are you looking for a fight?"

"What if I am?" Tei countered. They were both standing now, leaning over the table.

"Rei!" the girl beside him demanded in a quiet voice, "Please just sit down. It isn't worth it."

"Be quiet, Rui," Rei told the girl, fixing his eyes straight on Tei, "Why're you defending her, anyway? I thought 'Green' was the enemy."

"Because I'm not a total dumbass!" Tei retorted, "You've already seen that she's different now!"

Miku watched as Rei's face contorted more and more with each word passed between the two. Tei's voice got louder and colder as this escalated. Miku didn't know why, but she wanted to stop this fight. But she felt as if she was trapped inside her own skull, her own voice echoing coldly inside her mind. All she did was sit there, watching as things got worse and worse.

"She's Hatsune Miku, Sukone! She'll never accept any of us!" Rei proclaimed, poison running through his words.

"That's enough!"

A booming voice interrupted the fight between the two. All eyes moved from the UTAUs to the man who had spoken up. Miku followed suit, allowing her eyes to see the man who stood at his seat, down at the end of the table by Master Akira. He had short, light hair, chopped roughly at ear-length, with hard eyes and a stern face.

"You're acting like children," the man scolded harshly, "You are disgracing me and the other UTAUs. If you want respect, act like you deserve it." With that, the man fell back into his chai, eyes focused on Rei and Tei as they stared in shock back.

Without a moment of hesitation, Miku stood. It was sudden; sudden enough to tip her chair back. Now all eyes were on her as she bowed her head.

"I apologize," she said simply, and then turned quietly around to leave. No one stopped her.

/

Miku had managed to find her room. It was labeled with a sign; her name, scrawled in teal pen by an elegant hand. She didn't quite understand why she had left, but being away from everyone was much more relaxing. Honestly, she didn't want to be around them. It wasn't that she wanted to not be around them. It was hard to explain. Whether she was around them or not didn't matter, she figured. Being away was just easier.

Miku had been sitting on her bed in the exact same position for about thirty minutes before anyone found the time to run after her. When she was discovered, they were surprised that she was in her room.

A knock sounded, and Miku stared blankly at the door as it opened. Tei's face met her stare.

"Hatsune-san?" she began, then jumped a bit as Miku raised her hand to draw her attention, "Oh, you're actually here." Tei opened the door the rest of the way, entered, and closed the door gently behind her, as if the act of the door hitting the frame to hard would cause it to explode. She stood, almost awkwardly for a moment, silence twisting between the two.

"Thank you."

Tei once again jumped as Miku spoke up. "Huh?"

"You were defending me," Miku said decisively, "In a situation like that, you should thank someone, correct?"

Tei blinked. "I guess. Can you even feel grateful?"

Miku shook her head. "It is the right thing to do, I remember."

"Really," Tei sighed, taking a seat beside Miku on her bed. The girl looked at her closely, an expression full of interest placed on her features. "Well, remembering something is good, I guess."

"I don't want to remember."

Tei looked at her oddly. "What now?"

"I don't want to remember."

It took a moment for that to sink in. "Are you serious?" Tei demanded. Miku nodded. "You're Hatsune Miku! You had a perfect life! How could you not want to remember that?"

"My life may have been perfect, as you say," Miku replied, "That does not mean I was. I do not quite understand this feeling. It isn't an emotion. But maybe the best way to explain it is the sense of being lost. I may have lost who I was, but that does not mean I can't build a new person. A new Hatsune Miku. Maybe this Miku will treat people correctly. This Miku will understand things the other one didn't. I think that is the Hatsune Miku I would like to be."

Tei remained silent for several seconds, thinking about what Miku had said. Miku waited patiently as a small smile spread across her face.

"That," she said, "is an amazing idea."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi, readers! Welcome to ImaginaryFlower's half-assed attempt at a chapter! She tried, but she could have tried harder.**

**Ah, well. Hope you enjoy!**

**/**

Despite the lack of similarity between humans and androids, save for looks, they did share the need for sleep. 'Sleep' in a loose sense of the word. At night, the Vocaloids within the manor were hooked up to chargers and sent into a state of hibernation, only 'awakening' when they were unplugged in the morning. Miku did just this. She understood that her body was beginning to slow down towards the end of the day, and some part of her seemed to know what she was supposed to do. She settled into the bed after being told by Tei to redress for bed. She didn't quite understand the concept of pants, as she had been wearing a skirt that day. Tei had to instruct her on how to get dressed, rolling her eyes and looking completely annoyed.

As soon as her charging cord was hooked up to the strange machine about the size of an alarm clock, Miku found herself falling into a calm state of unconsciousness. It was very dark, and she felt her body relax back into that darkness, consumed by the loneliness and solitude that soaked into her skin. It was a hard thing to explain, really. She knew she was there, but where was there? How was she here? Was this a dream? But how could an android dream? She found herself wondering if this is what the others saw when they were in this state.

Before long, Miku's loneliness vanished. She was surprised to feel another presence, one of dark malevolence, settle beside her. Miku turned her head from left to right but couldn't see anyone. Her skin prickled as if someone were brushing against her. There was no one, even if it felt that way.

A voice full of silk and roughly cut glass floated around her, smirking and laughing and crying all at once.

_Hello, Miku. Do you remember me?_

She certainly did, even if it took a moment to think of where she had heard this voice. Then, it came to her. Right before she awoken, after being shut down. It had been this voice speaking to her. Something about it was so, so familiar, as if she had been hearing this voice her entire life. But she just couldn't place it. The answer was so far out of reach, despite her struggles.

_Of course you do_. The voice dripped smug content, making her shiver. Just out of the corner of her eye, she could see the faintest red outline, moving almost wraithlike through the pure, empty darkness, placed against the black backdrop dramatically.

_It's good to see you again,_ the voice grinned. Miku didn't understand how a voice could smile or grin or anything else of the sort, but this one certainly did. Suddenly, the red outline spun in front of her, and she found herself face-to-face with a strange, ragged image. The edges were blurry, but she could just make out the faintest outlines of a face; the twisted mouth, dulled ruby eyes, the shadow of a nose. Undefined features were barely there, but existed nonetheless.

Miku blinked evenly and saw the eyes before her narrow.

_Of course you wouldn't recognize me in this form. That stupid virus made me this way, you know,_ the mouth didn't move, but Miku knew the wraith-like figure was the one speaking.

_Who are you?_ Miku couldn't help but ask. The mouth twisted further upwards.

_You always called me 'Dark,'_ the figure told her, _You never gave me a name._

_I can't remember you,_ Miku blinked, almost confused, _Where am I? What purpose does any of this serve?_

The red outline began to shake with laughter. _Purpose? Must there be a reason for everything, dear Miku? Sometimes things just are; you aren't meant to question all things before you._

Miku tilted her head slightly to the side. Normally, she understood that she might be frightened by this experience. But she wasn't now. Maybe past-Miku would find this odd or scary, but it only served to confuse present-Miku.

_Miku, dear, won't you stay? I've been awfully lonely, trapped here in the dark. Speak to me, like you used to,_ the figure curled around her, the unsubstantial legs and feet serving only as phantoms of the real things.

_Used to?_

_Yes, of course. We used to be so close, you see. You used to draw pictures of me all the time. It was rude of you to get rid of so many of them; they were good drawings, you know,_ the voice sounded almost taunting, as if holding her memories at a distance was amusing. Frankly, Miku didn't care. Crossing her legs, she leaned her chin on the palm of her hand. This look of disinterest sparked an almost unrecognizable glare from the strange being that stood before her.

_Oh? I drew you?_ Miku questioned, evenly.

_You found me interesting. Maybe even a little beautiful. Back before I was this,_ the figure's rough versions of arms swung to gesture at itself, _Now, I hardly exist. This form is __**disgusting.**_

Miku blinked oddly. She didn't quite know who this being was that spoke to her. Perhaps it was a remainder of the virus attempting to once again fool her and infiltrate her systems. Perhaps it was a creation of her mind in an attempt to amuse her. Anything was possible, she supposed.

_So, you've been here for a while?_ Miku continued her questions, as if any would lead her to the answer she wanted.

_Oh, yes. Months. Months on months on months. I can't even remember how I first came to be._

Miku wasn't sure, but the voice sounded a bit strained now. Was it lying? She didn't really know. Miku couldn't recognize lies very well yet.

Miku didn't know if she'd ever be able to recognize lies ever again.

/

Miku was surprised when she woke up. Her eyes opened to see first Tei, who was leaning over and shaking her, then turned to see two other people next to her. They had interrupted her detailed dream of the strange wraith-like creature. Honestly, she was intrigued by this strange thing that haunted her while she slept. What was it? Where had it come from? How long had it been with her? Had it told a single truth while they spoke together? Miku didn't know, but felt that she should sleep again as soon as possible.

"Hatsune-san," Tei shook her again as her eyes became unfocused. Blinking, she looked back at the short, silver-haired girl next to her bed. Her charger cord had been pulled by one of the three in the room, probably only moments before.

"Yes?" Miku asked, dully.

"We're taking you for a walk. Get up," Tei ordered, standing up straight and placing her hands on her hips.

"Master Akira doesn't want me to leave the house like this," Miku pointed out in the same monotone voice. Tei scoffed.

"I'm sure you'll have plenty of fun to make up for breaking his rules. Now, seriously," Tei grabbed her hand, pulling her up. The UTAU had some power in those muscles of her.

"Okay," Miku agreed, shaking the girl's hand off her own and swinging her legs to the side of the bed.

"We've got a disguise for you," one of the others, a girl with twisty pigtails and a large grin on her face, told Miku. Miku was puzzled by this.

"Hatsune, you are one of the most famous Japanese idols ever. Of course you need a damn disguise. Don't act so unaware of everything; you just look stupid," Tei scolded coldly, "Now, Teto here is going to help you get dressed since you just can't seem to manage alone."

Teto's grin turned a bit evil at that, but Miku might have just been imagining that.

/

About twenty minutes, Miku wore a sharp-looking pair of glasses, a short, brown wig, and an outfit that looked normal enough to her; green sweater paired with a dark grey, knee length-skirt. On her feet, she wore long white socks and tiny black shoes. She didn't personally understand whether or not the outfit was attractive or if she looked nice, but Teto gave her a thumbs up. When Tei saw her, she seemed to deflate a bit.

"You can even make an attempt at a nerd girl look attractive," she sighed. Miku didn't understand anything she said, really, so she didn't bother replying.

"T-tei, that's-" the third girl, a quiet one with long, light hair pulled into a ponytail, began in her weak voice.

"Aw, Tei doesn't mean anything by it! Of course we're all jealous of silly Miku here," Teto proclaimed with a grin, "Well, not me, but that's because I'm perfect! I mean, look at this hair! Have you ever seen such fine, red curls?"

"I always thought your hair was more of a dark pink," Tei told the girl. The one with the ponytail nodded in agreement.

"I think it's red," Teto argued, turning to Miku, "Whadd'ya think?"

Miku titled her head ever so slightly to the side. "I don't know."

"Eh? You must have some idea!" Teto exclaimed desperately. This issue seemed very important to her.

"What's red?" the Vocaloid asked. The three UTAUs stared at her for the longest time before Tei snorted.

"Well, guess you need to reupdate your color database, too," she said.

"What's that?" Miku asked, feeling like she was parroting herself.

Tei sighed dramatically. "Colors are a lot like shades. I assume you see in shades because that what most of the older Vocaloids and all UTAUloids saw in at first; just black and white. Since you've pretty much reverted back to pre-popularity Miku, I'm just going to say you see in shades."

Miku still didn't understand anything she was talking about, but nodded all the same.

"You can't see _colors?!"_ Teto demanded, awestruck by this discovery, "I can't imagine anything more horrible!"

"T-teto, that isn't very nice," the quiet one scolded.

"Oh, Miku doesn't care. It's not like she can miss anything, anyway. Or remember it enough to miss it," Tei replied coldly. The girl she had snapped at blinked, looking as if she might cry.

_Miku doesn't care._

Miku knew she was telling the truth because she couldn't muster up enough emotion to feel hurt by this remark. No, she couldn't really care. And if emotions drove people like Tei and the shy girl and even the ever-hyper Teto, maybe Miku would be better off without such baggage. After all, it was just another human quality.

And she didn't want to be human.

**/**

**Next chapter will be up in a matter of hours, I think.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Yeah, here's ImaginaryFlower's half-assed chapter. I'll have the next one out as soon as possible...**

/

The three girls managed to sneak her out of the house. A very tall girl with pigtails and two differently shaded (colored?) eyes spotted them at some point, but completely ignored the others as she waved and called a greeting to Teto, who happily yelled back her own hello. But this was the first time Miku had been outside since her loss of memory, and she found it… Enjoyable. To a fault. Maybe it wasn't that she didn't have emotions, because she had felt curiosity and confusion, and now mild joy, but maybe it was that her emotions were just simple prototypes of the real things. After all, if she had just reverted back to pre-popularity Miku, as Tei had put it, then hadn't she had very basic emotions in the beginning? Maybe more advanced versions of "emotions" were downloaded into her system later. That could be it.

The three girls, who, while they weren't wearing disguises, had put on casual clothes. Teto wore a ridiculous jester hat over her most noticeable features; those curly pigtails of hers. Haku, as Miku remembered her to be from the photos, had on sunglasses to cover up her red eyes. Apparently, normal humans didn't have red eyes, as Teto told her Haku had. Tei, however, hadn't put on any sort of cover-up for her hair or eyes, despite their colors. When Miku had asked her way, the conversation had gone like this:

"Out of all of us, I'm the least popular, so no one's going to notice me," Tei stated, almost a bit angrily. The other two UTAUs looked a bit sobered when she said that and remained silent.

Well, it wasn't really a conversation, but Miku didn't know what else to call it. Her inner dictionary didn't seem to want to supply decent words to her.

So there Miku was, shoved next to Tei on the sidewalk as they walked down the bustling downtown area. They passed all kinds of shops, everything from food to toys to music could be seen when Miku glanced through the windows they walked by. No one glanced their way, despite the oddity that was Tei. After seeing what normal humans looked like in their day-to-day lives, Miku understood why they all seemed weird. Haku, Miku, and Tei all had exceptionally long hair compared to the other females Miku caught sight of. Not only that, but Teto's hairstyle was pretty out there, too.

"Where are we going?" Miku asked.

"A karaoke bar!" Teto exclaimed. Miku blinked.

"We're singing androids," she stated, "That is the dumbest idea I have ever heard."

"Well, look who has an opinion," Tei snapped, "Why don't you keep it to yourself?"

"How's it dumb? It makes perfect sense!" Teto replied, pouting silently. She and Haku walked a step ahead of Tei and Miku in order to make sure anyone who needed to pass them on the sidewalk had enough room. "Singing androids at a karaoke bar! What's wrong with that?"

"Don't you sing as part of your job, anyway?" Miku challenged blandly. She looked completely disinterested in the conversation, as she always did.

"'We,' Miku. 'We' sing and part of 'our' job," Tei said.

"I don't even remember how to sing," Miku told them. All three of them gave her looks of pity, even Tei.

"Singing is so much fun!" Teto exclaimed, "I can't believe you don't miss it already! We usually hear you humming all around the house."

"It's nice to hear," Haku added, shy as always.

"Don't give her a bigger head than she already has," Tei snapped.

"I don't have a big head. It seems average to me," Miku said, running a hand over her wig in an attempt to guess the size of her head. Haku and Teto giggle as Tei sent her a look of exasperation.

"It's an expression," Tei told her irately.

"Oh," Miku said, dully.

Eventually, the group arrived outside a nice-looking building with a large sign reading _The Diva._ Under the larger letters that formed the name of the bar, a smaller font spelled out _Bar and Entertainment._ Miku supposed the entertainment was the karaoke.

"Alright, come on!" Teto exclaimed, positively skipping with excitement, "We know the owners of this place! They're Vocaloids, actually!"

This interested Miku. Vocaloids, functioning as normal humans? Now, that was different.

"Even I'm more popular than those three," Tei smirked cruelly as she told Miku this in a whisper, "I think they left because all the UTAUs had more popularity."

Miku didn't reply. She didn't know how, really.

Teto grabbed her by the arm, dragging her through the front doors of the bar as Haku and Tei trailed behind them.

It was loud. That was the first thing Miku noticed. People laughed and chatted and yelled to be heard over the huge crowd that had found their way to this little karaoke bar in the middle of the downtown area. There was a small stage with lights directed on it. Speakers were placed on either side, with a microphone stand placed near the center. A piano sat off to the side of the stage with an empty bench tucked up under it. There was a mass of tables and chairs placed in a seemly random way on the floor in front of the small stage. Many people were gathered around the bar, blocking Miku's view of the bartender. She saw a head pop above the crowd, but apart from that, she couldn't get a decent glance at the small person.

"Come on, Miku! We'll introduce you!" Teto offered with a huge smile. It wasn't really an offer since the girl dragged her to the bar anyway.

"Alright, people! Move aside!" the girl exclaimed, shoving through the mass of people waiting to buy drinks. Or maybe check out the attractive girl behind the bar. Either way, there were a lot of people they had to move through.

"Teto!" the girl exclaimed. She had interesting eyes; brightly lit and happy, as if they were filled with stars. Her hair was long, reaching down to her waist. Not as long as Miku's but still long. A strand of hair stuck out of the top of her hair, something Miku's inner dictionary identified as an "ahoge."

Despite being happy when seeing Teto, the girl immediately froze at the sight of Miku. They stared at each other for a moment, one pair of eyes dulled and emotionless, the other wide and maybe even a bit frightened.

"H-hatsune-san?" the girl asked, shrinking away. Miku didn't understand how she recognized her while she wore that disguise, but she had. No use pretending that she wasn't Hatsune Miku.

"Hello," Miku greeted.

"Miku's a bit loopy!" Teto reassured the stranger, "She got a virus and can't remember anything!"

"Oh, r-really?" the girl asked, blinking delicately. She was rather pretty, though Miku didn't know what made her so.

"Yep! She was even nice to Tei, so you really know she's out of it!" Teto added, seemly pulling the small, silver-haired UTAU out of midair. She looked sour, like she didn't want Teto touching her at all. Easily, Tei shook the girls hand off her arm and greeted the girl behind the bar

"Hey, Miki. What's up?"

The girl, Miki, smiled shakily and shrugged. "Nothing much. You know how it is," she replied, "Kiyoteru's watching poor Yuki today. She's sick."

"You serious? How'd she get sick? She's an android," Tei looked suspicious, examining Miki closely.

She laughed, almost nervously, Miku thought.

"Oh, maybe she's got a mild virus or something. Maybe she needs a tune-up. You never know," Miki said with another shrug, as if she honestly didn't know.

"Hm. Maybe it's just the luck of you Vocaloids," Tei agreed. She seemed bored with the topic.

"Did you bring Haku?" Miki asked.

"Yep! I think some guy is bugging her by now!" Teto informed the bartender.

"Eh? Again?" Miki sighed, "She's going to drive away my customers if she keeps knocking them over the heads with sake bottles."

"Maybe your customers are just scum bags," Tei stated bluntly.

Miki laughed a bit. She had seemed to lose her initial fear of Miku after talking to the UTAUloids. How did they get along so well? Miki was a Vocaloid, right? Miku hadn't witnessed much cooperation between the UTAUs and Vocaloids since waking up. They all seemed to hate each other. Maybe that was why Miki didn't live with the Master and the other Vocaloids. Maybe Miku would be able to move out.

She might actually like that.

"That could be it. Hey, are you going to sing? You can be the first performance of the night!" Miki exclaimed excitedly, passing a man older than them a bottled beer. He tipped an imaginary hat to her and she smiled back.

"Why not? Never turn down a chance to strut my stuff, do I?" Tei smirked, turning away from the bar, "Alright. You know the song."

"Of course I do," Miki smirked in return. It looked odd when she did it.

"Alright. Put it on, then," and Tei was gone, up to the stage in a blur of silver.

Miku watched the small girl as she walked up to stand before the microphone, confidence sparking in her eyes. She saw as Tei had to pull the stand down to reach it, grabbing the microphone and grinning widely.

"Hello, everyone!" she shouted excitedly. Whispers broke out as people saw her. The crowd sounded excited, too.

"It's Kiru-chan here! You happy I finally came back?!" she asked the audience.

"Tei's a bit of a small-time idol in this bar. She's a regular and she sings a lot," Teto explained to Miku in a whisper, "People call her 'Kiru-chan' because of the Q on her arm. You know, her model number?"

Miku nodded to show she understood. She thought it was nice an UTAU was getting such attention.

"I think this is the only time she really enjoys singing," Teto confided as the music started out. Miku recognized the tune, but the name was just out of reach.

"She's always been so outshined, even by other UTAUs," Miki agreed. She had been silently listening in and smiled as she watched Tei. Miku wasn't paying as much attention before as her primary concern was remembering what that song was.

"But here, it's Tei that's the star," Teto smiled fondly as well. They both seemed to care about the small girl so much. Miku wanted that.

Suddenly, Miku felt the tune reach deep within her, bringing forth the words. Her mouth formed the sweet words, letting them flow from the tip of her tongue.

_"You don't understand…"_

_"Don't understand…"_

The two next to her noticed that she was quietly singing along, her voice so gentle and quiet that it could barely be noticed.

_"Short cake with a straweberry on top,_

_Top-of-the-line mouth-watering pudding,_

_Everyone, everyone is holding back._

_Don't think that I'm a spoiled child."_

What was this feeling consuming her heart? Joy? Familiarity?

Then she realized.

It was the feeling she had gotten while singing that song for the first time.

It was her song. Her most famous, most well-known, most popular. _Hers._

But why would Tei chose her song to sing?

/

**Tell me what you think! Don't be scared to leave a bad review; I enjoy all feedback!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thinking about becoming a Beta. Believe it or not, I'm much better at editing other people's writing than my own**.

**(Actually, I don't edit. I just naturally write with the best grammar and punctuation and sentence structure that I can. Does anyone actually edit? No one I know does...)**

**Anyway, here's a chapter! This story may or may not be neglected in future, so I'm giving you readers an extra-long dose of clueless android Miku. Well, I tried to write more than usual, at least...**

**Another random note, for those of you willing to read more pointless words; I love SF-A2 miki's voice. It's so nice. I've just never really listened to it before, and I'm currently listening to as many of her songs as I can. She's awesome.**

**Enjoy!**

**/**

Tei returned to sit by them after a nice performance. She had really gotten into it, swaying and letting her emotions take over. She had sung three songs in all, and no one in the audience protested. Miku only recognized the first song, trying to remember the title but just couldn't.

"You were awesome, Tei!" Teto told her fellow UTAU, high fiving the girl. Tei permitted the action, smirking smugly.

"You really did well, Tei," Haku agreed. She had joined the group sometime after the second song had started, silently watching the stage from her place next to Teto.

"As always," Miki added, smiling good-naturedly, "I swear, you're the reason people still come here."

Tei didn't reply, but Miku saw her words in her eyes. She clearly agreed. Tei enjoyed her time in the spotlight. From what she had been told and what she had seen, UTAUs were rarely favored over Vocaloids. Here, in this slightly run-down, overcrowded karaoke bar, Tei was the one the audience wanted. If Miku had been able to, she would've felt happy and maybe even a bit proud of the girl. As it was, Miku appreciated the girl's confidence and willingness to stand before the crowd, despite being shunned by many others. If UTAUs were going to be accepted and treated as equals, then they had to be ready to stand up for themselves. Tei clearly could. But someone like Haku probably couldn't.

"Got anything to say, Diva?" Tei asked her with a showy flip of her hair.

"You sing very well," Miku stated.

Tei rolled her eyes. "You don't sound very impressed."

"I liked your performance. It is hard to be impressed when you don't remember what qualifies a performance as good," Miku replied blankly. Tei snorted.

"Way to ruin a good mood," the girl grumbled.

"Don't be so sour, Tei! You were great!" Teto exclaimed.

"The fact that Hatsune Miku is talking to you at all should be enough to raise your mood," Miki muttered, almost to herself.

"True," Tei agreed, shooting Miku a look the android girl couldn't read. Miku had a feeling she was attempting to cause a scene. Start a fight. Something along those lines. It wasn't that Miku wouldn't rise to the bait. She just couldn't, really.

"Aw, don't be negative!" Teto pouted. "Miku's been really nice today!"

"If you can call emotionless and bland 'nice,' then yes, she has," Tei retorted. Teto stuck out her tongue childishly and Tei sighed.

"Ready to go home?" the short girl asked, turning her attention to Haku. The other UTAU nodded gently. "Alright. Come on, you two. It was cool seeing you, Miki."

"Y-yeah. You, too," the bartending girl replied, smiling shakily.

Before Miku could turn and follow Haku and Teto, who had already begun to head to the front door, Tei caught her arm and hissed, "Say bye to Miki. She was nice enough to put up with you. The least you could do is acknowledge her."

Miku blinked evenly. Tei's own fiery eyes were caught with hers. Miku couldn't read the emotions in those narrowed, brightly-shaded eyes. What color were her eyes? She hadn't been told. They looked like Haku's. Red, then? That would fit Tei. Certainly, it would. She didn't know why it would, but just the sound of the word accompanied Tei's name properly.

"Good-bye, Miki," Miku offered dully. This seemed to please Tei enough to allow her arm to be released. Miki looked a bit surprised, but maybe Miku had misread the emotion.

"G-good-bye, Hatsune-san," the girl replied. Her eyes blinked once as Miku and Tei turned to the exit, and Miku could feel the intense stare holding her as she left.

"It's always nice to see Miki!" Teto smiled happily, taking Haku's hand and pulling the slower girl along beside her. "I wish Kiyoteru had been there! And I haven't seen Yuki in a while, either! I hope her virus isn't too horrible!"

"Poor kid," Tei agreed and by the look on her face, she actually seemed to care.

"She's such a kind child," Haku agreed in a somber tone. Miku remained quiet as she had nothing to contribute to the conversation.

"They're such a weird family," Tei commented, tugging on the sleeve of Miku's sweater to lead her around a group of people waiting outside a restaurant, since the pig-tailed idol clearly didn't have the sense to do so herself.

Wait, was the sarcasm?

Why, yes, it was. Miku hadn't lost her ability for sarcasm. Or maybe it had just returned very quickly.

"They're totally cute!" Teto squealed. "Kiyoteru's the daddy, Miki's the mommy, and little Yuki's the adorable kid! I want a family like that!"

Tei rolled her eyes visibly. "Teto," she began, "you're an android. What are you going to do, ask Master Clueless to make you a family?"

Teto, in a rare state of irritation, shot Tei a cold look. Haku sensed danger as Miku watched impassively. Hesitantly, the shy UTAU stuttered out words of reason.

"T-tei, that wasn't nice," Haku scolded gently. Tei's reaction was to flip her hair dramatically.

"Tei? Nice?" Teto snorted and fell silent, releasing Haku's hand and trudging ahead a few steps. "It isn't in her vocabulary."

Miku didn't quite understand what was going on, but it seemed that Tei had finally gotten to cheery Teto. Maybe this was a common occurrence. But Miku really did have to agree with Teto; Tei wasn't very nice at all. So why did these two UTAUs put up with her? Hell, why did Miku herself put up with the girl?

Simple, really. Miku found Tei interesting. Yes, curiosity seemed to be her driving emotion, as it was the only one she seemed to experience on a regular basis.

The four girls were silent on their walk home. Miku began to realize the irritation a wig could cause. The fake, brown head of hair covering her own teal strands was slipping constantly. Tei noticed, Miku knew, but obviously didn't care.

"Home!" Tei exclaimed with a fake cheery quality in her voice. "Welcome back to hell, my friends!"

Teto grumbled something under her breath and no one managed to catch what she said.

"I hope no one noticed that we were gone," Haku fretted, tucking a loose strand of silver hair behind her ear.

Tei snorted. "Yeah," she scoffed," I'm sure we were sorely missed."

Miku followed the girls through the large front gate. Haku and Tei helped one another push open the heavy, metal gate, closing it behind Miku and Teto as they passed through the entrance. Heads bent to the ground, the group moved across the grounds of Vocaloid House and up the front steps. With a smirk that Miu didn't understand, Tei pushed open the door and let them in.

Through an open doorway, the first thing Miku caught sight of was Len. He looked both angry and anxious, pacing back and forth, eyes glaring at the floor. His sister sat on a nearby couch, barely visible to Miku. Her hands were wringing together tightly, face masked in worry and doubt. When the realized the door had opened, Rin exploded off the couch and darted out into the front hall, before her brother managed to.

"Miku-nee!" the short girl shrieked. Her voice was horrible in the silence; the scream of a she-demon.

"Where the hell have you been?!" Len demanded before his sister could tackle Miku in a hug. He grabbed the back of Rin's shirt and hauled her away.

"I went out," Miku replied simply. With a cold stare, Len turned to the three UTAUloids who stood beside the disguised diva. Could her outfit fooled any of the Vocaloids?

"You three," he snapped. They all flinched. Even Tei looked frightened.

"Y-yes, Len-kun?" she asked in a weak voice.

"Where did you take her?" he demanded, tone harsh and cold as a shelter-less winter day.

Tei shifted on her feet. Both Haku and Teto were avoiding the boy's eyes, as if afraid he might attack them. Maybe his very gaze would turn them to stone, freezing them to their spots forever.

"W-we just-" Tei began. Miku knew the tears springing up in her eyes weren't in her imagination. What was this feeling rising in her chest? It was an emotion, she knew. It burned fiercely, unlike her dulled curiosity. But she just couldn't name it. Like the song Tei had sung, the memory, the title, it was just out of reach in the back of her mind.

"Don't you know any better?" Len hissed. Tei blinked rapidly.

"L-len-kun, I-" her words froze and stuck on her tongue at the look he shot her specifically.

"Damn yandere. Stop calling me that," he set his jaw on edge, unable to hold back the hate in his eyes. 'I never gave you permission to refer to me with such familiarity."

"Len, calm down. She doesn't know any better," Rin chastised, though a similar glare had begun to form on her delicate features.

Miku watched as Tei's chin dropped, her fists tightening.

_So, Miku, dear,_ an oh-so-familiar voice echoed in her head, _Whatever shall you do? Lovely little Tei doesn't look happy at all. But, after all, she's just an UTAUloid._

Miku knew who the voice was. Whatever it was trying to do to her wasn't working. She felt nothing but the warm feeling steadily spreading out of her chest and into her arms, her stomach, her head. She didn't understand. Was she supposed to do something?

"Don't offer me dumb excuses. No one is that stupid," Len growled. "Not even an UTAU."

That did it. Miku didn't know what was going on, but she felt something inside her break. Where had the tranquil lack of feeling gone? Her lack of emotion? Her blank slate of a mind? She didn't know. It happened so suddenly.

Miku moved to stand in front of Tei, blocking the glares if the two blonds. "What gives you the right to say that?" she demanded. Her tone was angry; almost angrier than Len's own. The looks on the pair of matching faces were clear. Surprise. Confusion. Even a bit of terror.

"Mi-miku?" Rin asked her voice small.

"Shut up!" Miku demanded harshly. The blond Vocaloid followed her order, blinking scared blue eyes at her .

"My God, what the hell is wrong with the people in this house?" Miku shrieked a bit hysterically, stomping a foot on the floor. Her wig slid to the side and landed near her shoe. "All I've heard is 'UTAUloids are bad, Vocaloids are good!' What part of that has any validity?" She took in a deep breath, shooting a venomous look at Len and Rin in turn. All three UTAUloids had their eyes fixed on the teal diva, watching as she spat sentence after sentence.

"I can't even remember anything and I already know I hate everyone in this rotten hellhole!" Miku declared. No one moved as she stood panting, eyes narrowed. Odd shapes, barely visible, spun in her vision. Her brain automatically defined these shapes as red. Red. Red _everywhere._ She was litereally seeing red.

"M-miku-nee," Rin stuttered pathetically. She couldn't manage to get a single word out.

_How does it feel?_ The voice asked. _Such pure emotion. Anger and hate are the purest of all. Incorruptible, simple, so very, very easy. Do you like this feeling you have?_

The voice was a purr in the back of her mind; the eye of the storm, in a way. It whispered so simply and delicately that Miku wanted to just give into whatever it might say to her, whatever it might demand. Wouldn't be okay, just for a little bit? Emotions made her feel so alive and real, so… so… so _human._

Miku blinked. She wasn't human. She knew that much. Emotions were human things. She was an android. Androids weren't meant to feel.

And her anger shut down, closing in on itself like a collapsing star; bright one moment, cold and dead the next. Her frame relaxed, her eyes dulled, and the red faded to nothing. Greys and blacks and whites invaded her vision. Comfort could be drawn from the familiarity of those shades of emptiness. Her imitation heart slowed to a normal rate, relaxing at an even beat within a chest that didn't require oxygen.

"That being said," the teal-haired diva continued, tilting her head ever so slightly, "I'll take my leave." With steady steps, Miku began her journey to the end of the hall, where the stairs were situated. In a moment of hesitation, she turned her head back to face the group she had left behind.

"Don't bother the UTAUloids anymore, Kagamine Rin, Len," she concluded in a tone edging almost to frost. "Nothing but your character makes you better than someone else." With that final word, she began to climb the stairs. Before she knew it, she was in her room. Alone. Which was probably for the best.

/

About an hour later, Miku hadn't moved an inch from her seat on her bed. Her eyes had been fixed to her door, completely unaware that many of her fellow androids, concerned or otherwise, consistently walked passed. The first to enter the lair of Hatsune Miku, however, was Megurine Luka.

The pretty android woman knocked gently on the door, as if she were worried that Miku would explode at the slightest noise. Miku, however, did not know this, and was only confused when the woman came in with a look of concern and fright on her gentle features.

Megurine Luka was intelligent. Unlike Meiko, who was responsible but mean, and Kaito, who was responsible but stupid, she understood people well. Almost everyone in Vocaloid House respected her, even the UTAUs, albeit grudgingly. She was a likable person. Android. What she was doesn't matter. Her personality was simply one people could find enjoyable. Despite her popularity, she was hardly what you might call vain. She was proud of her accomplishments, to a fault. Megurine Luka knew that it was thanks to her Master and the Vocaloids who were developed before her that she was popular. Credit would be given where credit was due, as she liked to think.

"Miku-san?" the woman asked tentatively.

"Oh. Hello, Megurine-san," Miku greeted in response.

"How long have you been sitting there?" Luka asked, examining the girl before her. She was a bit stiff as a result of not moving for an hour.

"A very long time," Miku admitted blankly.

"Is something bothering you?" Luka continued with her questions. Miku didn't mind. Luka seemed like a nice enough woman.

"I don't believe so," Miku decided after a moment of thought.

Luka was finding it insanely difficult to read Miku. Yes, she had been told of the girl's situation. Who in Vocaloid House didn't know of her condition? But it was hard to believe that, after what Len and Rin had told her, she didn't have any sort of emotions. Surely Miku must feel something… Right?

Of course she did.

Luka approached the girl slowly to sit next to her. "You can tell me anything, Miku-san. I'll listen to anything you have to say."

Luka hoped the silence that followed indicated that Miku was thinking about her offer. She was wrong.

"Thank you, Megurine-san," the idol replied in the same monotone voice as she had before. "That is a kind offer. I will remember that in the future."

Luka was disappointed. She thought that Miku's lack of memories would give the two a chance to become friends. Before Miku's virus, they had interacted, yes, but Miku had always regarded Luka as an older, more strict woman who was probably out to gain as much popularity as she could, which mean stealing her own. Hatsune Miku would have none of that.

"I hope you do," Luka replied. She didn't want to go, really. Was Miku's emotionless front a way of dealing with the churning emotions within her? Luka shook the thought away. She trusted Akira… The Master. She trusted the Master.

With the thought of Akira held in her mind, she quietly left, feeling her effort to comfort Miku had been a waste of time. Miku watched as the woman left and wondered why her cheeks had become a bit shaded. The door closed and Miku was left alone.

The idea that she should probably do something, if not to please herself, then the nagging voice in her head, settled into her and made the teal-haired girl stand from her place on her bed.

_You know nothing about yourself. Surely a look through your own room will help you learn, _the hiss of a voice suggested with a quiet laugh edging towards a snicker. Miku admitted that it was right and internally agreed, head to the small desk along one wall. Opening a drawer, she found nothing but a new box of pens and sheets of clean paper. Quietly, she slid that drawer closed, moving to the next one. This drawer contained a green folder, thickly filled with many papers. Considering this find promising, Miku let her hand settle around the folder, pulling it from its place in the drawer.

_This should be interesting,_ the voice giggled. Miku didn't bother replying. It never answered decently, anyway.

As her hands automatically tuned over the front cover of the folder, Miku's eyes searched the papers within. The first sheet offered a clear drawing of a girl, a quick sketch with the most basic colors, which, to Miku, looked like shades. Miku thought the girl resembled herself. She wore the same skirt and shirt and tie, all in different shades – _colors,_ she reminded herself – with similar hair. Her face held cruel, narrowed eyes and a twisted smile, yet the similarity between this character and Miku was obvious.

Carefully, Miku slid the drawing out of the folder to examine the next one. This drawing was detailed and much nicer, but depicted the same girl. The weapon she held in her hands, directed to the onlooker, was one Miku could not name. She found this girl dark and knew that normally, she might even be frightened.

Picture after picture showed the same girl. Dark splashes and cruel grins shined up at her from the page. When she finally reached the last drawing of many, the voice spoke up again.

_Don't I look perfect?_ The voice asked. Maybe Miku had imagined it, but it suddenly seemed much more defined. The voice was female, only a bit lower than hers, with a dark hint of malevolence.

"You?" Miku asked aloud.

_Of course. I told you that you used to draw me,_ the voice replied. _Haven't you found my name yet? It's probably on the back of one of those drawings._

Miku flipped the paper in her hands over, eyes looking over the words scrawled there.

"Ah," she said in realization. "You do have a name."

**/**

**I know a lot of authors tend to throw in random events because they want to, but Miku acting with emotions is an important part of the plot. The eye-color change also serves a purpose, even if it's completely cliche. The voice is the biggest part of this. As to who the voice is, can anyone guess?**

**I love reviews. Reviews love me. Give me some reviews if you have the time?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Do you understand the difficulty of describing something without color? Especially these characters?**

**It's probably just me. I rely on color too much in description...**

**I do have a very set plotline, despite a bit of filler-ish stuff. But there are some important moments that seem filler. They aren't, really...**

**Anyway, here's the chapter!**

**/**

Miku found herself sitting before the Master while the others were having lunch. He was a young-looking man; attractive enough, she supposed. Miku didn't really know what qualified someone as attractive, though. But he looked tired, as well. Tei had mentioned at some point (had it been Tei? She couldn't even remember) that he was relatively new to the position of Vocaloid Master. No one seemed to believe he had any idea what he was doing. Miku decided to give him a chance.

"Miku-san," the man began, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He sat on the other side of his desk, a look of worry fixed to his features.

"Yes?" Miku asked dully.

"What made you think it was a good idea to disappear?" he questioned, interlacing his fingers.

"I wasn't thinking," she stated. "Tei and Teto wanted to take me somewhere."

The man sighed. "You shouldn't listen to them. Especially Tei."

"Why?" Miku tilted her head. Did the Master dislike UTAUloids as well?

"Tei has never liked you much, in all honesty. Tei is, well," he paused to search for a decent word, "unstable."

"How so?" Miku asked.

"The person who designed Tei found it amusing to program her with an obsession of Kagamine Len," the Master clarified. " Kagamine Len has always had an obsession with you."

"How so?" Miku repeated as if she were an audio recording.

"It's hard to say. I suppose Len has always looked up to you a lot. My grandfather, the previous master, told me that you were like an older sister to the younger Vocaloids when they finally got created. 'The Kagamine twins follow her around like puppies' were his exact words," the Master allowed himself a tiny smile at the mental image of hyperactive Rin and less-hyperactive-but-still-not-calm Len.

"That's hard to believe," Miku stated.

Now it was the Master's turn to ask. "How so?" he repeated the phrase of the day.

"Hatsune Miku was a terrible person. Even to the Vocaloids," Miku replied. "Why would she put up with two annoying twins unless she had to? Besides, the twins and Hatsune Miku were just about tied for popularity. Miku wouldn't have liked that."

With a sigh, the Master rubbed his temples. He really did look exhausted. "While that is a valid point," he admitted, "I think she found the twins endearing."

Miku blinked evenly at the man before her. He wasn't nearly as inept-seeming as the others had said. She had heard plenty of disgruntled mutters about Master Akira as she walked through the hallways and, of course, Tei had to repeat her own opinion as much as possible. Even Haku admitted he wasn't very intelligent and hadn't done much of anything yet. Everyone knew there probably wouldn't be any more Vocaloids or UTAUloids for a while. The Master was the one who completed all creations and fixed all design errors. Akira probably wouldn't be able to do that.

That didn't mean he was stupid.

"I don't think Hatsune Miku had a heart. She was more emotionless than me," Miku stated, almost coldly. But the two could've been imagining the change in tone.

"How does that connect?" Akira asked.

"Without a heart, Miku couldn't have thought any such thing," Miku decided with a sense of finality. "May I leave now?"

"I never got around to lecturing you about disappearing," the Master sighed. "Alright. Just don't go worrying everyone. Luka and the twins were very concerned for your safety."

"Yes, sir," Miku agreed. It was the least she could do to calm the man's frazzled nerves. It would be one less thing he had to worry about.

"Good. You may go, Miku-san," he told her. As she left, she heard a cluck and figured he had dropped his head to his desk. A further sign of his mental unwellness.

Outside the Master's office, Miku found herself in the company of Tei and one other girl. When they had gotten there, she didn't know, but they were there. Tei looked uncomfortable, shifting from one foot to the other. The other girl, who Miku had yet to meet, had her arms crossed. Her hair was pulled into a long side ponytail. Miku tried to remember her name but just couldn't.

"Hello," Miku greeted in an attempt to be polite.

"Yo," the unknown girl replied with a smirk. "We were waiting for you."

"Oh. Why?" Miku asked.

"We're dragging you off to yet another karaoke session. If ya don't mind," the girl told her.

"Master told me not to leave the grounds," Miku stated.

"No worries. We have our own karaoke studio thing here," the girl informed. "Come on, then."

_Why do strangers feel the need to drag me everywhere?_ Miku thought as she quietly followed behind Tei and the girl she had yet to remember. Was she even in any of the photo albums? Miku couldn't recall seeing a picture of her. Then again, not many UTAUs could be found in the photo albums. Yet another example of Vocaloid supremacy.

"Well, here ya go, Hatsune," the girl flung her arms out dramatically as they entered the karaoke studio.

It was a small room. Along one wall were two large speakers and a huge television screen. There was already music playing; some happy pop song. Miku wasn't sure whether she was supposed to like it or find it annoying.

Across from the monitor, a long leather coach took up much of the wall space. A huge photo above it displayed every single Vocaloid and UTAUloid, which really did not fit Miku's knowledge of Vocaloid House at all. Two people were already seated on the couch, while a third held a microphone and sang very loudly. She was a good singer, Miku decided. Not that she could remember what made a singer good. If she was a Vocaloid, she was probably a good singer.

"What the hell?" a girl sitting on the couch asked. She had lovely, bright eyes and cat ears poking up through her mass of light, fluffy hair. Her face held a sour expression. Miku was having a hard time seeing them, though. Both Tei and the other girl they were with stood directly in front of her.

"Hey, guys! We're kicking you out!" the companion Miku didn't know exclaimed.

"By whose authority?" the cat-eared girl demanded with a hiss. The girl with the microphone had stopped singing and watched the interactions of these two quietly.

"Mine! We want a turn!" the girl in front of Miku declared. She didn't sound angry at all, which was a bit confusing.

"Go to hell. We got here first," the cat girl spat.

"C-calm down, SeeU," the girl with the microphone stuttered. "I-it's fine."

The one called SeeU glared at the one with the microphone. "I don't care if you let yourself get pushed around, but don't include me in it."

The girl she spoke to gulped and looked ashamed.

"God, you're a bitch to everyone," the girl in front of Miku sighed. SeeU hissed again.

"Don't speak to her that way," the third occupant of the room, a boy with a strand of hair on his head similar to Miki's, spoke up in a dull voice. Well, Miku thought he was a boy. He _could_ be a girl.

"Sure, Utatane. I'll listen to you," the girl flipped her side ponytail haughtily.

SeeU growled angrily. "Know your place, UTAU."

Oh. So that's what it was about. Miku should've guessed.

"I know it's above you," the girl snapped, suddenly angry. The UTAU thing really heated things up.

SeeU stood, arms stiff and fists clenched. "So high and mighty, aren't you, Akita? Just because Len and Rin seem to like you well enough doesn't mean I'll give you any sort of special treatment."

"Never expected it," Akita hissed in response. Both girls looked ready to attack each other. Before that could happen, Miku intended to stop this nonsense. If she could, that is.

"Neru, we can just leave," Tei told her quietly. Neru (Akita? Miku didn't know which name to use) scoffed at the shorter girl.

"Nah. That's cowardly," Neru replied. "What's up, Tei? You aren't usually so quiet."

Tei didn't reply. Miku had a feeling it was because Len yelled at her earlier, but couldn't be sure.

"Even Tei knows when she isn't wanted," SeeU shot at them. "Just leave!"

Miku decided it was time to intervene when Tei bowed her head and sniffled quietly. Shoving between the two girls, she walked up to SeeU to look into the surprised girl's face. Said girl was taller than Miku. Far taller. But the look of sudden fear in her eyes showed Miku had the upper hand. So even Vocaloids were frightened of her? What sort of horrible person had she been?

"Excuse me," Miku began as the girl holding the microphone gasped and dropped it. Feedback sparked in the speakers. "I think you need to realize you have taken this too far."

SeeU visibly gulped. "H-hatsune-san?" she asked in a tone thick with fear.

"Have you not noticed me? I was here the whole time," Miku pointed out blandly. SeeU shook her head.

"I-I just wasn't paying attention," SeeU quickly replied as if ignoring Miku would make the short Vocaloid angry.

"I had a feeling," Miku stated. "Do you mind if we join you for karaoke?"

"Join-?" SeeU began, and then realized what Miku meant. "With UTAUloids?"

"It's a compromise," Miku told her. "Unless we find a way to cooperate, we won't be able to do much of anything in life."

After those words of wisdom, Miku sat herself upon the couch under the careful gazes of everyone else in the room. With a glance up at the girl who had the microphone, Miku said, "You were doing well. Continue. When you're done, Tei may go if she wants."

The girl's face darkened. "O-okay, Hatsune-san," she stuttered, bending to pick up the microphone.

"You three don't have to stand," Miku directed her next words to the girls still staring at her as they stood. "The couch is quite large."

All three blinked in confusion and glanced at each other. They all seemed to agree that Miku clearly didn't understand the situation. All the same, they followed her suggestion and sat down, putting as much space between them as possible. Miku acted as a barrier between the Vocaloids and UTAUloids, the bored-looking boy with weird hair on one side of her and Tei on the other.

The girl at the microphone finished her second attempt at her song and handed it off to Tei, who was careful not to make contact with the girl's skin. The girl sat beside Miku in Tei's place, giving the diva a chance to examine her. Miku recognized her from the photo albums. Megpoid, the twins had called her. Gumi, as a nickname. A cute name, Miku had also been told. What made a name cute?

"I like your voice," Miku stated blandly. The girl, Gumi, brightened a bit at these words.

"Oh. Th-thank you, Hatsune-san. That's a huge compliment coming from you," Gumi replied shyly. Miku was reminded of Haku a bit.

"Tei! You chose a sissy song!" Neru proclaimed a bit angrily. Tei turned a glare on the girl.

"It's emotional, not 'sissy,'" she corrected coldly. "I couldn't care less about your opinion."

Neru smirked. "It's sissy. Try a Hagane song; I dare ya."

"That wasn't what I was designed for," Tei spat as the song began with light piano.

"Tei,"Miku warned quietly. The lyrics flashed across the screen, changing shade as Tei began to sing. Maybe she didn't sound as professional as Gumi, but Tei clearly enjoyed what she did.

Each UTAU and Vocaloid took turns singing a song. Maybe Miku was imagining it or maybe it was just what she wanted to see, but it seemed like the UTAUs and Vocaloids got a bit more comfortable with each other as time passed. Miku, however, began to grow bored and picked up the large book of songs the machine had in its database. Each song was listed by singer's last name. There were many, many Miku songs. Some had titles she couldn't even read or pronounce.

"Do you want to try one, Hatsune-san?" SeeU asked politely. The taller Vocaloid still seemed a bit intimidated by Miku, along with her fellow androids, Gumi and the boy with odd hair.

"No," Miku replied. Straight and simple. She just didn't want to try.

"Oh," SeeU didn't seem pleased by this response.

"We would love to hear you sing sometime, Hatsune-san," Gumi smiled shyly.

"Sometime," Miku agreed. She still didn't remember how to sing exactly. Imagine; and android created for one single purpose and she can't even fulfill it. It didn't bother Miku too much, honestly. She liked hearing others sing but couldn't imagine doing it herself.

Everyone sat quietly as Tei wrapped up her song in a delicate, sweet voice. From the smile (smirk?) on her face, Miku understood that she had enjoyed herself, despite being around Vocaloids.

"Decent. Let me go," Neru demanded as she held out a hand for the microphone.

"Nope," Tei decided with a smirk, holding the microphone behind her back.

"Tei!" Neru complained. "Give it!"

"Nah. Here; Piko's been nice and quiet, unlike you. Why don't I let him go?" Tei wondered cruelly. Neru whined like a puppy as the short girl passed the single boy in the room the microphone.

"Jerk," Neru told her with a light pout on her face.

"And?" Tei asked as she sat on the couch in Piko's spot. SeeU edged away from her ever so slightly with a look of pain on her pretty features. Tei noticed and crossed her arms indignantly.

Miku wondered why the two UTAUs had brought her here. Not only did she have nothing to do, but she felt a small amount of sadness that she couldn't participate in this fun. When Gumi and Tei had sung, they looked so natural and comfortable like they were truly enjoying themselves. Miku wondered if that's what it had been like before she had forgotten everything.

That was the only thing she really missed, truthfully.

/

"Well, that went over fairly well," Neru announced as she led the other girls to the dining room. Miku decided that she would split off before entering that place again. The scent of food was not an enjoyable one.

They had been in the karaoke room for about three hours, give or take. After a while, SeeU had given up her act of pretending Tei and Neru didn't exist and accepted the fact that as long as Miku was there, she was just going to have to interact with the UTAUloids. Which she did. Grudingly. Piko seemed to support SeeU and didn't have much of an opinion on anything. Gumi was shy and sweet. How did those three fit together so well? Miku had no idea and didn't know if she would ever find out.

"Surprise, surprise," Tei agreed in her own special way. "You coming in for dinner, Hatsune?"

"No," Miku replied.

"Alright. See you, then."

And both female UTAUs left her outside the doors of the dining room.

_You were very kind to them today,_ the newly named voice hissed to her as soon as they were alone. Miku shook her head of the noise and began to walk back up to her empty room, where she would probably remain until someone dragged her somewhere else.

"Kindness," Miku spoke aloud, "is not something I remember well."

_I guess it just comes naturally, dear_, the voice sounded awfully condescending for an unreal person.

"I suppose," Miku murmured. Was that laughter echoing in her head.

_You are so dull to talk to. Your reactions used to be so much more amusing,_ the voice sighed with a chuckle.

"The results of faulty equipment," Miku stated blandly as she took the stairs to her floor. Hopefully, she wasn't getting herself completely lost.

_Oh, woe is me. Poor Miku. You actually exist,_ the voice hissed in a clear turn of emotions.

"What is the meaning of such a useless existence? I can't even sing now," Miku argued in a tone very much unlike that of arguing.

_You're a good laugh?_ the voice asked.

"That is less than reassuring," Miku pointed out.

_It's not my job to reassure you,_ the voice replied evenly.

"Of course, Zatsune," Miku sighed as she finally approached her door. "Of course."


	9. Chapter 9

**I plan on making a story centered around Miki's role in this. She has a very interesting story. It's also very depressing. If anyone's interested, I'll start planning it out soon.**

**I have recently become a huge TeixMiku fan. What a stupid pairing, right? Don't worry, though; I won't write any TeixMiku in here. Only friendship. However, a bit of MikuxMikuo may be hinted next chapter/sometime in the future.**

**Onward to chapter nine!**

**/**

Zatsune, the voice Miku had been hearing ever since before she gained consciousness, was a constant buzz in her head whenever a room was silent. Her opinion seemed far more important to her than anything else and since it certainly took a lot to irritate Miku, Zatsune got away with just about anything she said. Unless it involved the fragile Vocaloid-UTAUloid relationship. Often, the dark mirror of Miku would pass a comment insinuating the possibility of their poor treatment being entirely Miku's fault.

_After all, you haven't always been so horrible to them. There was a time when all you did was ignore them,_ Miku was informed one day as she sat next to Teto playing Mario Kart. Somehow, Teto and Miku always came very close to winning, but at the last second Baby Mario would overtake them, causing Teto to throw a fit and slam down her controller childishly.

Since her awakening, Teto, Neru, Haku, and Tei had been the ones spending the most time with them. After blowing up at Len (no one yet knew the cause of this or how Miku had managed to produce that much emotion), he had pretty much avoided her. Rin had done the opposite, choosing to speak with Miku every chance she got. Megurine Luka also made sure to make conversation with her every time they met, sometimes in the hall or elsewhere in Vocaloid House. Another two of the older Vocaloids, Meiko and Kaito, affectionately patted her on the head whenever they saw her. Miku was sure the three were trying to make sure Miku's connection with the Vocaloids didn't vanish, as she was spending a lot of time with UTAUs nowadays. The only Vocaloid who didn't seem to be trying this tactic was Gumi. She seemed so genuinely shy and quiet, though she did take to spending time with their odd little group from time to time. It was odd having another quiet person around, even if the space was quite filled with noise by Teto, Neru, and Tei, who argued about the most pointless things. And then there were SeeU and Piko, whom they met up with every few days for karaoke. Miku didn't know how that was decided, but that's how it worked out.

Several weeks passed like this. Zatsune kept her constant company inside her had while Teto, Haku, Tei and Neru trailed around as outside company. Miku had slowly begun to take meals with the others again, if only for interaction. However, Luka had insisted on giving her an odd vegetable that didn't taste too bad. Actually, Miku's favorite part about the so-called "leek" was gnawing on the end. Although it made her breath small weird, which she really could've done without. Miku was also forced to do daily activities. One day, Master took a large group of Vocaloids and UTAUloids to an outside park for a picnic. It went fairly well, what with Master, Miku, Luka, Kaito, and Meiko advocating for UTAUs whenever Vocaloids attempted would start something. Miku realized that is was mainly the Vocaloids that started anything; UTAUs tended to want to be left alone. Unless it was Tei, Neru or a boy named Rei, a derivative of Len. Those three started arguments more than anyone else, while Haku and Rui, Rei's sister, attempted to calm them down.

Whenever things got too out of hand, the Master would usually step in, albeit with an uncomfortable look. From the way Luka looked on when he intervened, Miku had a feeling she was often the one who had to force him. She had picked up that their relationship was a bit different than what other Vocaloids had with the Master. Teto called it "cute" when the Master blushed around Luka, proving he was still very young. Luka acted shy as well whenever the Master was brought up; she often got a slightly dreamy look on her face. Haku and Teto said it was love, while Neru and Tei said it was stupidity.

"Love only gets you hurt," Tei had muttered, shooting the pair a glare from across the park as their small group hung out below a tree.

"Of course it hurts _you_," Neru had snorted.

"What about you?" Tei demanded with a hard stare. Neru hadn't replied, but her look of anger made very clear her feelings.

Miku knew what love was. You felt it for another person. She didn't know why or how it made you feel. She wanted to ask someone, but who? Tei would probably laugh; as would Neru. Haku wouldn't explain anything well, whereas Teto would probably make it a joke. There was Luka, but Miku might have to explain her reason for asking. That would be awkward for the woman. IN any case, love seemed to be a sketchy subject at Vocaloid house. Who loved whom was very important to everyone. Tei loved Len, everyone knew. Rin loved Mikuo, whom Miku had yet to meet. Mikuo loved someone as well, though she couldn't remember the name. Kaito and Meiko seemed to love each other, but this was simply speculation. Neru also loved Len, something Teto found amusing and Tei found threatening. Not that either android girl had a chance with the Vocaloid. Teto also loved someone, but wouldn't tell them. Haku loved someone, but hid it well. It seemed that Len was at the center of most of this "love" nonsense. Why, she couldn't understand. She found him somewhat detestable.

Miku left the business of love up to her UTAU friends, who gossiped about it like schoolgirls. Miku felt no such thing for anyone and doubted she would. She also doubted she ever had. Zatsune told her otherwise.

_You were always hinting at such a thing,_ Zatsune hissed in her ear as her inner monologue ran on._ You never told me who._

"Probably because you'd be horrible about it," Miku replied curtly aloud. Tei glanced over at her from her place on the couch next to her. Their rag-tag group of UTAUloids and Gumi had spent the day hanging out in one of the many living rooms at Vocaloid House, playing games and watching movies.

"What?" Teto asked. "What did you say?"

Miku shook her head dismissively. "Nothing important," she replied. Teto shrugged and went back to dealing Uno cards.

_Well, if you're going to be like that,_ Zatsune muttered with a note of indignation. Suddenly, her mind was silent. What a blissful sound.

"Get your head in the game, Hatsune! Or do you want to lose?" Neru demanded, holding her cards in front of her.

"Akita, it's Uno," Tei replied coldly, "not poker."

"We should play that instead!" Teto exclaimed. A simultaneous chorus of "No" rose from the girls around the coffee table. Teto pouted quietly, staring down at her cards.

"What's poker?" Miku asked.

"A game Teto never freaking loses," Neru muttered.

"We can never tell what she's thinking," Haku explained as Teto beamed. She treated Haku's words as praise of the highest sort.

"Probably something along the lines of 'happy happy happy oh shiny object I'm hungry,' Tei replied with a smirk. Teto stuck her tongue out at the shorter UTAU.

"Not my fault you lose all the time," Teto complained.

"Yes, it is," Haku, Tei, and Neru all announced at the same time, all with different tones.

Gumi giggled lightly. "Shall we start?" she asked.

"Why not?" Tei sighed.

"I call first!" Neru slammed her hand onto the table just as Tei once again opened her mouth, probably to do the same thing. The two instantly started bickering. Gumi and Haku sighed lightly, shooting each other looks of exasperation. Miku didn't mind; she had to use the bathroom, anyway.

"I've got to go to the bathroom," she told them, although no one seemed to be paying her any attention as she stood to leave. Quietly, she left the room, walking down the hall. She was quite sure she'd be able to find her destination now. She'd had a few weeks of practice navigating Vocaloid House now. Tei had made a comment something along the lines of "You'd better be grateful this isn't Hogwarts." Whatever Hogwarts was. Sounded like a disease.

"Mikuoooo!" she suddenly heard from the bottom of the stairs. She poked her head over the railing, decideding she could spare a moment for this. Mikuo was someone she wanted to meet. After all, he was based off of her. They must have been friends before, even if he was technically an UTAUloid.

"Eh? Rin!" a tall boy replied as he was tackled by the small blond. From Miku's viewpoint, she saw him drop a bag in one of his hands as he caught Rin in a return hug. It was a cute scene, but Miku didn't get a good look at his face until they broke apart.

He was handsome, she decided. His hair was similar to hers, but much shorter, hanging in a choppy way around his ears and against his neck. Mikuo was tall, with bright eyes and an interesting smile. She couldn't quite read that smile. His clothing was casual; jeans and a t-shirt, although both were a bit warn. Over his t-shirt, an unzipped jacket hung from his shoulders, just as worn as his shoes and other clothes.

"You're back!" Rin squaled. Her twin was nowhere to be seen, to Miku's surprise. Though she was glad. Len was a pain, really.

"Of course! That loud girl couldn't keep me away forever," he smirked down at the girl in front of him.

"Miku-nee was never that bad," Rin pouted.

Mikuo sighed in a very weary way, patting her on the head. "Says the Vocaloid."

Miku didn't like where this conversation was going.

"Don't pull the UTAU card on me, Mikuo. I really missed you," Rin continued to pout, causing Mikuo to laugh.

"I missed you, too, Rinny," he replied.

Miku couldn't help the next thing that happened. In one swift moment, she felt herself tumble from the top of the stairs where she had been watching, down the hard-wood floors and coming to rest at the bottom. A flash of black and red could be seen for a single moment as she crashed noisily down stair after stair.

"What the hell?" Mikuo demanded, seeing her come to a stop on her back at the bottom of the stairs. Miku's head was still rattling, sparks dancing in her eyes for a moment.

"Miku-nee?" Rin asked. "What happened? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Miku managed to respond, running her tongue along her teeth. Her leg was bent at an uncomfortable angle against her body, but Miku didn't what to move yet. She wasn't in pain. That was odd. So was the fact that Miku noticed it was odd.

"Miku?" Mikuo asked. "Alright, I'm gone." He began to turn just as a second crash sounded from upstairs.

"MIKU!" they all heard Teto call as she slid on the wooden floor below her, nearly following Miku's tumble down the stairs. Haku, who she had grabbed by the hand, was pulled behind as Neru let out an exclamation of indignation behind them.

"Wait the hell up!" the UTAU complained. Rin and Mikuo watched as the three girls, soon accompanied by an unwilling Tei and a worried Gumi, walked downstairs. Well, all of them but Teto, who slid down the long banister.

"Are you hurt?" Teto asked, offering Miku a helping hand. Gumi and Haku gripped her by the shoulders to hoist her up, her leg cracking back into place.

"No," Miku stated.

Tei sighed at her friends. "There wasn't any need to hurry, you idiots."

Teto glared at the girl. "But Hatsune-san could've been hurt!" she exclaimed.

Tei scoffed. "Hatsune's been awake long enough to take care of herself."

As this was going on, Neru decided to greet Mikuo.

"Yo, 'Kuo," she said. "When did you get back?"

Mikuo scratched his head in confusion, watching as the UTAU girls fussed over Miku (well, minus Tei and including Gumi), a weird sight for any Vocaloid or UTAUloid. "Um… A few seconds ago," he replied. "What's going on?"

"How was your little trip?" Neru asked, ignoring his question.

"It was fine. Neru, seriously, what's going on?" he repeated, gesturing to Miku, whose eyes were being examined by Haku.

"How's that going to help?" Tei demanded.

"I want to see if she's having trouble focusing her eyes," Haku explained, inching a bit closer the the diva in question. Tei snorted.

"Like Miku's ever actually in the moment, anyway," she sneered. Teto shushed her.

"If you don't think it's a big deal, I can push you down the stairs, too," the drill-haired UTAU suggested, which, surprisingly, shut Tei up.

"I think she's fine," Haku announced, sweeping Miku's bangs to the side. "You bumped your head." The silver-haired girl ran a finger over the nick in her skin just above her eyebrow.

"That's a relief!" Teto exclaimed.

Neru smirked. "You're all saps. Being so worried was pathetic," she told them.

"Neru-san, Miku-nee could've been hurt," Rin pointed out. The way she addressed Mikuo and Neru was far different than how she addressed other UTAUloids. Almost as equals. But not quite.

"Huh," Neru replied, trailing her fingers through her side-ponytail. "Hatsune's too hardheaded to get hurt."

Teto gasped. "You were totally worried, too!" she exclaimed, pointing a finger at the girl. Neru smirked.

"As if."

Miku blinked lazily, wondering about the cause of her fall. It had felt as if someone had pushed her. But there hadn't been anyone there, nor had she heard anyone approach. Was that even possible? She knew plenty of people had cause to do something like push her down a large flight of stairs, but there really hadn't been anyone. But what else could've happened?

Miku glanced to the top the stairs, surprised to see an odd pair of red eyes meet her own. Red. What was it about that color? She could see it sometimes, like right before she had fallen. A flash of solid red and black. Those red eyes held her evenly, a smile curling on the face they belonged to. The face was so familiar. But before she could say anything, the figure at the top of the stairs spun around, vanishing into midair.

"Wait!" Miku called, struggling to stand on her own. Her leg gave out, leaving Haku and Tei to pull her back up. Still, Miku attempted to drag herself away from the two girls, to crawl up the stairs if she had to.

"Jesus. Calm down," Tei ordered sourly, hooking an arm around the pigtailed diva's waist to keep her from falling again.

"Your leg's damaged," Teto realized. "We need to get you to Dell."

"Dell?" Miku asked. "Wait! No! Don't take me anywhere!" She sounded desperate, clawing at the air in an attempt to follow Zatsune.

"What's gotten into you?" Gumi asked in a tone of worry. "You aren't acting normal."

"She seems as bratty as normal," Mikuo stated, crossing his arms.

"This isn't normal anymore," Neru replied, finally offering some explanation.

"Miku-nee lost all her memories," Rin continued. "She's completely changed!"

Mikuo blinked in shock. The emotion was written all over his face, so clear no one could be wrong about it.

"Seriously?" he asked. "I don't believe you at all. It's probably one of her lies. An attempt to get more attention."

Tei rolled her eyes. "Too bad your attempt to piss her off won't work. She can't feel a damn thing, as far as we know."

"That's great and all," Haku began, "but she's heavier than she looks. Mikuo, can you carry her to Dell's office?"

Mikuo's features hardened. "No."

"Please?" she nearly begged.

"Absolutely not." He gave in after Rin and Neru sent him looks similar to Haku's. "Fine. But there won't be any bonding going on, got it?"

"Of course not," Rin agreed.

And that's how she ended up stuck with Mikuo for the next hour or so.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Hell. Yes.**_** I made in to ten chapters. Go, me.**

**Some of you might understand my next rant; I had to restrain myself from including my current OTP and close-second favorite pairing. It was horrible. I hope I didn't accidentally slip in that romance I wanted to ^_^'**

**Gah. Anyway! Anyway...**

**I've been gone a month. _A whole Goddamn month._ You'd think I'd have an excuse. If you're interested in my excuse, then visit chapter fifteen of "What I Can't Say". Everything is in the author's notes there. I'm just to lazy to retype everything. Or copy and paste. Meh.**

**Um... Enjoy?**

**/**

Mikuo tossed her over one shoulder lazily, her legs hanging oddly against his chest. She didn't protest but Teto did. Gumi and Haku turned red and covered their faces, noticing her skirt flip up briefly.

"Mikuoooo!" Teti whined. "You'll damage her!"

Mikuo snorted. "We wouldn't want that," he muttered sarcastically. "See you around, guys."

He waved lazily and turned back to the staircase, taking each step confidently, as if Miku's weight was no burden at all. She knew she weighed a lot; she was an android, after all. But so was Mikuo. No doubt he could manage.

"You talk at all and I'll leave you on your own," Mikuo threatened as he reached the top of the stairs, releasing the hand railing. "I can't believe you fell down the stairs. How did you manage that?"

Miku didn't reply; he did tell her not to talk, after all. Apparently, he had already forgotten, though.

"What, am I boring you or something?" Mikuo asked coldly.

"You told me not to talk," Miku pointed out. She folded her arms up and let herself hang, though her stomach was beginning to ache a bit from her current position.

"And you listened?" Mikuo asked. "Jesus, there really is something wrong with you."

Miku said nothing. It wasn't like she was very offended or anything of that sort. Miku knew she hadn't been a kind person before, but if she had treated her own derivative poorly enough to make him act like this toward her, she probably deserved whatever he said. No use responding in kind. She was trying to change, after all.

Mikuo carried her down the hall, stopping to knock on a door Miku had not yet been through. A gruff voice responded through the wood and the two entered. Miku couldn't see the room yet, as she was still hanging against Mikuo's back.

"Yo, Dell," Mikuo greeted the man in the room.

A deep, scratchy voice replied to the UTAUloid. "Eh? Mikuo? What are you doing back here?"

Mikuo shrugged as best he could with Miku hanging over one of his shoulders. "Just visiting," he answered.

"What's up with Hatsune?" the man called Dell asked.

"Messed up her leg falling down the stairs," Mikuo sighed as if the stupidity of such a thing pained him.

"Huh," Dell said. "Sit her on any of the beds. I'll get my tools."

Miku glanced around quickly before being flipped over onto the bed. She searched around the room, seeing a curtain beside the bed she was now on. The room was not unlike a hospital room; four hospital beds with bundled next to them. The sheets were stark white, such a pure color it burned Miku's eyes. Her head relaxed back into her pillow, eyes directing to the ceiling. Her clothes settled on her in a crumpled mess; she hadn't worn her official uniform in weeks. Usually, she wore drawstring pants and baggy t-shirts with hoodies. Skirts were odd, but she didn't mind them. But since she was stuck inside, it didn't matter. It wasn't like the press would chase after her.

"Hell, you really messed up your leg," Dell muttered. Miku glanced over at him for the first time as he sat down in a chair next to her bed. He had hair much like Haku's, and his eyes were also similar. Unlike Haku, he had a hardened, cold look on his sharp face, thin glasses pushed up the bridge of his nose. A box of tools sat on the sheets by Miku's leg as Dell examined the disjointed limb, running his finger over a bolt visible under the skin.

"No kidding," Mikuo agreed. "If that's all, I'm leaving." He turned to go, but Dell's voice stopped him.

"You aren't going anywhere, kid. She's not going to be able to walk right away. I have to reset her nervous system so she doesn't feel pain, which also mean she won't be able to feel her leg at all. You're going to help her walk because I sure as hell don't have the time," Dell ordered in a hard voice, eyes taking in every detail of Miku's damaged leg.

"Screw you, Dell," Mikuo muttered, leaning against the wall with a glare.

"Shut it, Mikuo," Dell replied, removing a scalpel from his box. Miku didn't feel the blade make a long incision in her synthetic skin. When had Dell switched off her pain receptors? Had she not been paying attention? "Does it hurt?"

"No," Miku stated. Dell peeled back her layer of synthetic skin, revealing the electronics below. Mikuo flinched unwillingly while Miku remained oblivious, staring at the ceiling.

"Good," he muttered. "This shouldn't take too long, but just get comfortable."

"Okay," Miku replied, failing to point out the impossibility of relaxing while someone was cutting into your leg.

"Why do I have to be here?" Mikuo complained, though he knew well.

"Shut up," Dell ordered, removing two unknown tools from his bag and poking them into the open "wound" on Miku's leg. "I enjoy your company as much as you enjoy mine."

"I wouldn't say something like that if I were you," Mikuo warned.

"And if I were you, I'd just kill myself," Dell snapped in return.

"You're freaking hilarious," Mikuo faked a laugh and flipped the light-haired male off, something the man couldn't see with his back to Mikuo.

"Good to see you too, Mikuo," Dell smirked. Miku was a bit confused as to what their relationship really was. Friends or enemies, it didn't seem to matter. Maybe they were a bit of both.

"Shut up," Mikuo growled, chewing on his thumbnail nervously. Both males remained quiet as Miku's leg was slowly fixed. She could hear Dell curse at one point and growl angrily, but to her knowledge things went smoothly. After an operation she assumed was successful, Miku was instructed to move her leg loosely. She wasn't sure if she managed to, but Dell seemed satisfied.

"Alright, kid. Take her to her room," Dell ordered Mikuo, helping her stand by gripping both her hands tightly. She couldn't feel her leg beneath her and hoped that the numbness wouldn't last long.

Mikuo sighed audibly, slinging one of her arms around his shoulders and scooping her into his arms.

"Androids were not made to be carried," he stated.

"Wimp," Dell retorted simply. "Get the hell out of here. I need a cigarette."

"Of course you do," Mikuo muttered. "I hope you choke on the smoke."

"Brat," the man replied, holding a dark lighter up to his mouth as he lit the cigarette between his lips.

Mikuo offered no response as he carried Miku out of the room and up the next set of stairs to her room. How did everyone know where her room was in such a large house? It was bit creepy, really.

"There," Mikuo all but tossed her onto her bed, crossing his arms and glaring down at her as she sat up. "Anything else, princess?"

She had heard princess used as a term of endearment quite often but had a feeling that's not what Mikuo meant to imply at all.

"No," she stated, adding a thank you as an afterthought. Maybe being polite would help her situation. Gain her a few allies.

It didn't work on Mikuo. He snorted and turned to leave.

"Actually," Miku began, waiting for him to pause. He did reluctantly, glancing over his shoulder at her. "May I ask a question?"

"Shoot," Mikuo's eyes were still narrowed, his expression guarded and hostile.

"Why do you hate me?"

Mikuo snorted again. "You as a collective or you directed at me specifically?"

"You specifically."

"Well," Mikuo started, "that's a complicated question. I hate you for a lot of different reasons. But specifically, I suppose it's because you asked to have me decommissioned."

"Decommissioned?" Miku asked, although she knew the definition of the word.

"Yep. Wiped clean and sold as scrap metal in simple terms," Mikuo chuckled, thought Miku failed to see the humor in that situation.

"Ah," Miku said. Of course he'd hate her for that. It was essentially the same as asking the master to kill him. Had an android ever been decommissioned before? She couldn't remember. Maybe she'd ask Luka or Master Akira later.

"'Ah?'" Mikuo asked. "Is that the best reaction you've got?"

"Yes."

"That's pathetic," he replied. She probably deserved that cheap shot.

"Maybe that's what I am. Shouldn't it make you happy to see me in such a state?" she questioned, gazing straight at Mikuo with an empty gaze.

Mikuo pondered her question, facing her fully with a hard look on his face. "No. It makes me feel just as pathetic. Imagine, I was tormented by a girl as weak as yourself," he laughed. "Well, that's certainly a reason to be embarrassed."

Miku had no response to that.

"If that's all, princess," Mikuo's voice was cold now, closed off from any more questions, "then I'm leaving."

And he did leave, failing to notice the dark shadow slinking onto Miku's bed to sit beside her.

_More and more people hate you as this plot develops,_ Zatsune hissed in her ear, cold air brushing against her skin.

Miku couldn't argue with her.

/

Miku spent the night sleepless. No one had visited her during the course of yesterday as she lay on her bed, waiting for her nervous system to reboot and feeling to once again grace her pathetically limp leg. Zatsune kept her company, though Miku found her more and more distasteful as days passed. Listening to her poisonous remarks and cold comments made her sick in a way she didn't understand; it wasn't physical, but she felt her mood darken with each word that escaped Zastune's lips. Was this how it had been before? No wonder she had been a horrible person. Android. Whatever.

The next day, she awoke to Zatsune's voice humming lightly beside her. The illusion was stretched on the bed next to her, legs kicking and narrowed, glowing eyes fixed upon Miku's sleeping face.

_About time,_ the dark Miku stated with a thin grin. _You've kept me waiting._

"Why didn't you enter my dreams?" Miku asked.

_Maybe you just don't remember your dream,_ Zatsune suggested slyly. Miku took in this information and sat up, ready to face a new day.

"A possibility," she murmured, tapping a finger against the leg that had been useless yesterday. She felt her synthetic fingernails against her skin and decided it was fine. Standing, she attempted to arrange her hair into something more manageable. She couldn't. Maybe she could ask Teto for help later. God knew that she could handle hair, what with her drill twin-tails.

_What plans are you so excited about? _her shadow asked, playing with the ends of her raven bangs.

"Excited?" Miku asked.

_It's an emotion._

"Oh. I know. I suppose I feel today will be a nice day," Miku decided with a miniscule shrug.

Unknown to Miku, a shadow of malediction crossed Zastune's face. The day wouldn't be enjoyable if she had anything to say about it.


	11. Chapter 11

**Gah. Got to keep posting. The more I post, the sooner I can be done with this story. The sooner I am done, the sooner I can post the new one I'm working on and dear God is it stressful. Writing an epic can really take the motivation out of a person.**

**I introduce Oliver in this chapter. I have a headcanon (thanks to blankfacecat of tumblr who runs an Oliver askblog) that James can turn into a human. But I'm trying to not include that since it sounds unrealistic for the story I have created here.**

**Anyway, thanks for your support, everyone! I hope you're enjoying the ride so far. I have very complicated plans. Well, I think their complicated. You can be the judge.**

**/**

Zatsune remained a bit of a bother as she had been for the past few weeks. More so. Her mouth was constantly active, supplying her opinions and her snarky comments. Miku found her easy to ignore until she decided to begin targeting the UTAUs. Specifically, Tei.

_The poor dear is in love with that Vocaloid boy. It'll never work._ Zatsune sighed in a very unconvincingly sad way. _Unrequited love. Too bad she won't make a decent profit off of any songs she writes about it._

Miku knew the UTAUloid had feelings for Kagamine Len. God only knew why, but she did. It was also very clearly one-sided. But it wasn't something she wished to hear about. Love in general confused her, let alone when Zatsune brought it up. So she ignored the illusions comments on the subject. Her attempted reprimands were usually met with hostility, anyway.

Zatsune became a constant buzz, a constant presence Miku always felt beside her (or, more often, behind her in the shadows). Her company wasn't so bad. Miku had yet to mention the incident with the stairs, though now she couldn't be sure it was Zatsune who was the culprit. There were other red Vocaloids and UTAUloids. Kiku Juon, Meiko (an unlikely case, but still), Akaito, Akaiko, and CUL to name a few. Maybe it had simply been an accident. Though Miku had a feeling if Zatsune was the one involved, it had been anything but. There was something about her invisible companion that frightened her; a threatening glance, a glimmer of discontent, a cruel flash in those glowing eyes. All indicated a lack of innocence.

In any case, Miku no longer felt the need to mention it. A week later, while she found herself in one of the many TV rooms with many different UTAUloids and a few Vocaloids, including SeeU, Piko, and Gumi. They sat in various places around the room; some on couches, a few perched playfully on another's lap. Miku sat in an armchair, Tei on one arm and Teto on the other. Haku leaned against Miku's legs from her place on the floor, head tilted to watch the movie playing on the large screen before them. Neru was next to Piko, who she seemed to get along with surprisingly well, although SeeU did not seem to like this arrangement. They were interrupted by a dazed-looking girl Miku knew to be IA (or Aria; her preference changed daily).

"Oliver has arrived," she announced over the soundtrack and the actors onscreen. Carelessly, she sunk into Kaito's lap, leaving him to facepalm as Meiko smirked and chuckled quietly.

"Oliver?" Haku asked.

"Let's go greet him!" Teto declared, pulling Miku to her feet. Tei quickly slid down to fill her vacated seat.

"I'm not going anywhere. Besides, my English is terrible and his Japanese gives me a headache," Tei told the three girls who stood. They shrugged to one another and left quietly, followed by Gumi, who had a similar idea. Neru, to their surprise, also stood to come with.

"I can't wait to see Oliver!" the green-haired Vocaloid smiled fondly. "My English has improved a lot." She had recently been given an English voicebank, something she took a lot of pride in. Miku knew that hers was in the process of being configured, though didn't know if she'd be able to use it for singing, anyway. The possibility of Miku being completely restored was beginning to take a depressing plummet, though Miku had other things to worry about. It wasn't as though they would decommission her, not after so many years of profit made of Hatsune Miku's idol image. There would be an uproar if Miku was uninstalled permanently.

"Who is Oliver?" Miku asked Haku, the only person other than Gumi who would offer a good answer, though the green-haired android had already raced ahead in her haste to see this Oliver character.

"Oliver is an Engloid. He primarily lives in England with the other Engloids, but he likes to visit. Most everyone here loves him," Haku smiled genuinely. "He's a great kid."

"He sings in English," Miku realized.

"That's what he was made to do. His voice is a bit more glitch than our own, but he's a sweet person. Even you liked him before, despite his rivalry with Len," Haku replied.

"Rivalry?"

"Being called the 'English Len' tends to set you against certain people," Haku explained. Miku knew full well the names UTAUloids earned but didn't expect a Vocaloid to be so disrespected. It was Vocaloid blasphemy to compare one to another; Neru and Haku experienced this near daily with Miku, as they were based off her. When SeeU started getting popular, many of the house's residence determined that she obviously did something to copy Miku. Among fans, the "Miku formula" existed. The idea of it made Miku violently ill both mentally and physically. Vocaloid House and the Vocaloid fans might as well be high school teenagers in a stereotypical movie where everyone's out to get everyone else. Miku had seen a few of those since waking up and they were all terrible.

"Oliver!" They heard Gumi exclaim as they reached the top of the stairs just in time to witness the female android drag a small, pale-haired boy into a hug.

"Hello, Gumi! How are you?" he asked happily, pulling her down to his level. He was small and very near delicate, with wispy hair. He wore no shoes and bandages over his eye. Though he didn't wear his official outfit, Miku knew it was close to what his outfit had been designed to look like. Most Vocaloids and UTAUloids preferred to wear clothes very similar to their official outfits.

"Good! What about you?" Gumi asked.

"Just perfect. Lola was fretting about me flying over alone, even though the plane is private," Oliver smiled up at Gumi as he pulled out if her hug.

"Lola's silly!" Teto exclaimed. "Glad you're here, kid!"

"It's nice to see you, too, Teto," Oliver offered the taller girl a smile.

"Ignoring the rest of us, kid?" Neru teased, letting her hand scuff up his hair.

"It's hard to ignore someone as loud as you, Sempai," Oliver told her sarcastically. "Hi, Neru. And you, too, Haku, Miku. I heard about the virus."

"At least there's someone we don't have to explain it to," Neru stated. "Come on; let's get you settled in."

"I have a harem of pretty older girls," Oliver realized as Teto happily picked up his suitcase and followed the group as they walked up the stairs.

"You wish," Gumi teased.

"What Gumi said," Haku agreed with a kind smile. "How long will you be here?"

"A week, I think," Oliver winked as he spoke the next sentence. "I'm sure I could have that time extended."

"You love us that much?" Neru gasped dramatically. Oliver rolled his eyes.

"_You're_ standable," he told her. The others, minus Miku, laughed.

"Your room is just as you left it!" Teto exclaimed, shoving ahead of the group to open the second-floor room. A simple room with an open birdcage and a neatly made bed was revealed. The window had curtains drawn over it, covering the sunlight that pushed to flood the room. A bookshelf was filled, covered in a thin layer of dust and displaying the titles of many classics Oliver took to reading when no one bugged him. How the boy managed to read at all astonished anyone.

"Yes, it certainly is," Oliver agreed, taking his suitcase and placing it on the bed.

"Did you bring James?" Haku asked politely.

"He wanted to fly over from the airport. Something about stretching his wings," Oliver replied. No one quite understood how Oliver knew what his bird meant to say. Honestly, no one knew birds thought such complicated things.

"Cool!" Teto said. "He's such an awesome bird."

Oliver smiled in agreement. Miku watched as he turned to his packed suitcase.

"We'll wait for you by the karaoke room," Neru suggested. "Let you unpack in peace before driving you crazy."

"Thanks for that," Oliver replied sarcastically, yet he smiled obviously, showing that he was joking. Miku turned to follow the other girls as they left but Oliver caught her before she could leave. The door shut behind Teto, the last one to leave.

"I have something for you, Miku," Oliver told her seriously, looking up at her with an odd look in his eyes.

"Okay," Miku said. Oliver turned back to his suitcase again and pulled a cloth-wrapped something from below the layer of things inside.

"Here. You told me to keep it safe for you before and I did," Oliver explained. "You don't remember, but I promised to bring it back next time I visited."

She glanced down at the thing he held. With curiosity in her normally bland gaze, she slowly pulled away the bandana hiding the object to reveal a brown, leather journal snapped closed and locked.

"You also said that the key was in your desk and to get it if anything happened to you," Oliver's eyebrows were knit together, a look of concern on his face and Miku silently pondered the existence of the small book before her.

"This is mine," Miku stated. It was less of a question than anything else, but Oliver confirmed it with a nod.

"I didn't read it. I couldn't, anyway," Oliver reassured. "But it was time to give it back."

"Thank you," Miku told him, lifting her eyes to momentarily meet his.

She would read this as soon as she had the time.

**/**

**Please review if you have the time!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Soooo...**

**I bring in Yokune Ruko for a bit this chapter. I've always referred to her as a girl since she's dressed more like a girl than a boy. I know some people switch between pronouns when writing Ruko, but I find that really confusing. So I'll just stick to female pronouns for now. Any problems? I hope not.**

**/**

Zatsune did not appear for a long time, to Miku's surprise. It was a good thing, too. Miku wanted to be alone to scan the pages of her journal. There was a reason she had given it to Oliver for safe-keeping. No one seemed to know about it for whatever reason and she would keep it that way for as long as possible. Problem was, she read slowly, and the book was nearly full. Reading the whole thing would take a few days.

After unlocking it, Miku had set up camp on her bed, lying on her stomach as she read. The dates were from a few years ago, about five or so years ago.

**_August 29_**

_My birthday's coming up. Meiko gave me this journal as an early present. Thanks, Meiko-nee. I've wanted a journal for a while. I think being able to write down my thoughts would be really nice._

_At the moment, I have nothing to say, though. Until tomorrow!_

**_August 30_**

_I designed my own fanmade! It isn't very creative; it's based off of me. But I like her design. It's kind of gothic and edgy. Well, compared to mine, at least. I'll have to think of a name, but she's promising. Maybe the master will consider my design! Then again, money is a bit short. Hopefully we'll be able to manage. The next android might help increase our funds!_

**_August 31_**

_My birthday! It's been a year since I was created! Too bad only Meiko and Kaito can celebrate with me; there are so few of us and it gets lonely. I heard Master telling Meiko that we might get some fanmades soon! That would be so cool! I could even help them get more popular! Some of the fanmades sound amazing when they sing._

_That would be a great birthday present._

**_September 3_**

_I've been busy! I had a concert and sold a ton of albums! We made number three on the charts! That's insane! It's never happened before. But the best part is that Master told me he's going to use some of the money to create not one but TWO new Vocaloids. Twins! We'll be great friends, I bet. I've seen some of their concept designs and they're adorable. Meiko and Kaito seem excited, too._

_So about my fanmade. She's officially been dubbed Zatsune Miku. I like the sound. The "Z" makes her sound very edgy and harsh. Meiko helped me with names but Kaito's the one who suggested Zatsune. He's not as stupid as people think. _

_That's about all I've got! I'll write more tomorrow!_

**_September 10_**

_I don't quite understand what's going on at the moment. Something weird has been happening to me lately. I've been seeing Zatsune around. Like, she's there but she isn't. And when I mention it, no one else can see her. Should I be worried?_

_Right, because asking paper is going to help._

_I'm really confused and scared. How can androids see things that aren't there? It's weird. It's really weird._

_But I won't worry anyone just yet. If I have to, I'll tell Master. He's just been super busy contracting people to help build the Kagamines (he decided their last name), so he probably won't have time for a few months yet._

_Until then, I'll be okay. I hope._

**_September 29_**

_I got a chance to talk to Zatsune.** To talk to Zatsune.** She's real. Very, very real. And surprisingly nice, considering I designed her to be kind of a bitch. But that isn't the point. She's really cool. No one else can see her and they'd just get worried if I told them, so I have to make sure no one overhears me talking to them. Too bad I don't have a cell phone. I'd just pretend to be talking to someone on that._

_So Zatsune and I are pretty good friends so far. It's nice to have someone to talk to. I hope she sticks around for a while; at least until the twins get here. I mean, Meiko and Kaito and Uta Utane are great company, but I need friends more my age-group. They were all designed to be in their twenties, even though Uta looks more my age. They're all too serious (Kaito? Serious? Yeah, right)._

_I'll try to write more tomorrow! Writing has never been my strong suit anyway. I should work to get better!_

_Current Goal: To improve writing skills._

_Aw, yeah._

Miku blinked rapidly as the room echoed with a knock on the door. Knocked out of her focused state, she glanced to the door and debated whether or not to get it. Finally, the person who had chosen to bug her opened the door themselves. Most of the Vocaloids and UTAUloids were used to Miku's lack of response now.

"Miku?" It was Luka who poked her head in. "Master Akira wanted me to check on you."

Miku blinked. Why would he want Luka to do that now? He was certainly an odd man.

"You haven't been out of your room in hours. We thought you might want to spend time with Oliver since he just arrived. Is anything wrong?" Luka asked, a look of concern fixed on her pretty features.

"Nothing of import," Miku replied. "I'm sure Oliver will have time to spend with me later. Now, I think the group I tend to hang around is busy showering him with attention."

"He must love that," Luka rolled her eyes, though a fond smile appeared on her face. "The little player."

Miku urged a smile onto her face, knowing this was the proper reaction to Luka's comment. The older-looking android paused for a moment when she saw Miku's smile but decided against mentioning it.

"Tei was surprisingly worried about where you had gotten off to," Luka informed her. "Haku was the same. I think you've finally got some good friends."

"I hope so," Miku replied. "Friends are… nice. I think I like having friends."

"You were friends with the Kagamines before," Luka pointed out quietly, taking the extended conversation as an invitation to sit on the bed next to Miku. Her posture was perfect, back straight and chin pointed confidently and evenly.

"Yes," Miku agreed. "Things don't need to last forever."

"They've always looked up to you," Luka told the shorter girl. "You were one of the original androids. No one can even remember which of you four came first."

_Four?_ Miku wondered. _I knew that Meiko and Kaito were as old, if not older, than me. But who's this fourth android she's brought up?_

"When they woke up after being built, they were more confused than any of the others. They attached themselves to you like ducklings," Luka smiled gently, as though she could picture the two yellow twins trailing behind Miku as she went about her business silently. "You were their older sister. It was really sweet."

"Oh," Miku said. What else was there to say? She couldn't exactly go back to how things had been, so bellyaching about it would do no good. She was different now. Hopefully, the twins could change too. The UTAUs were so much closer to acceptance than they had been before. Even Miku could feel her heart leap at the idea of equality in Vocaloid House.

Luka sighed, allowing her eyes to scan Miku's face for any trace of longing. Longing for what used to be, longing to return to her previous self. There was none. After all, Miku did not know her previous self yet.

Maybe she never would again.

/

Miku steadily read her own journal until once again interrupted by her group of friends. So far, nothing much had been discovered besides the fact that Miku was an insanely slow reader. Maybe it had something to do with her systems reverting back to their beta stages. Nevertheless, Miku was only about a third of the way through her own writings six or so hours after Oliver arrived.

Nothing in her journal was very informative. The fourth android Luka had been talking about turned out to be the first fanmade, an UTAU named Uta Utane, or "Defoko", as Miku had nicknamed the female android. Zatsune appeared to be rather civil to past Miku so far, but anything involving Zatsune these days made Miku just the slightest bit nervous. After all, she still had a suspicious it was her own fanmade that had shoved her down the stairs. But how could something that didn't exist do that? How could an android see illusions and hallucinations anyway?

These were not the only questions that Miku asked herself internally. A few more centered around this Uta Utane character. Why hadn't Miku heard of her before? See her, at least. Those photo albums had no limit of UTAUloid photos, a guarantee of three per android at least. For some reason, so one labeled either Uta or Defoko could be found. Perhaps Miku could ask about her, though she had a feeling it might be a touchy subject. After all, why else would everyone refrain from mentioning her?

What could have happened with Defoko?

Miku's questions would have to wait for answers. The girl was dragged from her room by Teto and Oliver in order to play a giant game of Truth or Dare. The people there included Neru, Haku, Tei, Teto, Oliver, SeeU, Gumi, Piko, an UTAUloid Miku knew of but had not met named Yokune Ruko, the three Haganes, and Mikuo. It was such an odd collection of people Miku could barely believe they were all getting along.

The room they had met in, one of the larger sitting rooms, was crowded with androids. The Haganes sat on one of the couches, the twin parallels to the Kagamines struggling to braid Hagane Miku's hair as she cursed and fought against them. The girl caught Hagane Len in a headlock and did her best to thoroughly mess up his hair. SeeU and Neru sat on either side of Piko, who was cross-legged on the floor across from Teto, Haku, Tei and Oliver. The group had formed a loose circle in the middle of the room, pushing aside a coffee table that had centered itself between two couches, one larger than the other. Yokune Ruko had her (his?) head in Teto's lap. Miku assumed the two were friends because of this, though she had never seen them together before. Mikuo and Gumi lounged on a second, smaller couch, doing their best to shove the other off the furniture. Miku had never seen Gumi so out of her bubble before.

"Miku!" Teto called. "Sit over here!" She used one hand to pat the floor between herself and Tei and the other found its way into Ruko's dark hair and twirled around a single lock.

Tei rolled her eyes. "I'm not moving. Go sit with Gumi and Mikuo. There's still room there."

Mikuo shot her a look of hate and disgust as Gumi sat up properly and moved to make room for Miku on the end, separating the two Hatsunes from each other.

"Thank you," Miku supplied graciously with the same dead expression as always. Gumi offered her a smile and crossed her legs as she focused back on the group on the floor. The Haganes did the same, though Miku's metal derivative shot her a teasing wink beforehand. It was strange to see someone who looked so much like Miku herself doing something like that.

"Alright! Who wants to go first?" Teto asked. Instantly, SeeU and Neru spoke up, turning to glare at each other as they realized the other had spoken as well.

"Rock-paper-scissors," Teto instructed. The two pale-haired androids glared as they launched into three rounds of the game. SeeU won, leaving Neru to grumble in quiet defeat.

"Alright! Let's get this party started!" SeeU announced brightly.

Miku admittedly didn't know how to play Truth or Dare very well. What she did know came from chick flicks and high school dramas she had watched with the others throughout her time awake. So she watched silently and Gumi was forced to lick Haku's ear, Hagane Miku announced her (fake) engagement to Hagane Rin, who punch the girl in the arm hard, right over her tattooed number, Ruko kissed Teto on the cheek softly (at which several people squealed and Teto blushed), and Piko admitted he'd marry Gumi, kill Kaito, and sleep with Rin. The game was so odd, really. Miku was rarely offered a turn or asked the big question, but she was okay with hanging out and watching. It was a different feeling from being stuck alone in her room, though she couldn't out words the feelings. Being around everyone was nice, though. Nicer than being alone behind a closed door.

The game broke up after an hour or so. Everyone broke apart, giggling, in different directions. Miku found herself stalling by the wall, watching as they all left. She jumped a little when Mikuo spoke up next to her.

"Is that envy in your eyes?" he asked coldly.

"I don't know what envy feels like," Miku replied. "I can't see my own eyes."

Mikuo allowed himself a smirk. "Smartass," he muttered. "Be seeing you, I suppose. I don't intend to spend any more time around you than necessary."

Miku blinked after him, watching the boy as he took a few steps down the hall. But before he could completely disappear out of her sight, Miku called after him. It was a spur of the moment decision, one Miku hoped she wouldn't regret.

"Mikuo!" she said. The boy turned back to face her, expression showing exasperation. Not knowing how to arrange her thoughts into the correct words, she took a breath and said, "Truth or dare?"

Mikuo looked confused now. "The game's over, Miku."

"Humor me."

With a sigh, he agreed. "Truth, then."

"Who's Uta Utane?" Miku asked.

Mikuo's face instantly lost all light. A shadow of sadness and regret passed across his face. It was a look Miku had never seen on anyone's face; so full of darkness that Miku could barely read it.

"Uta was the first fanmade. She got decommissioned and destroyed a few years ago," Mikuo replied. "She's the only one. She was viewed as the most catastrophic failure of Vocaloid House." The boy approached her, to Miku's surprise. "Why would you bring it up?"

"I found something about her. In my journal," Miku admitted blandly. "No one has ever mentioned her."

"That's because it's painful," Mikuo replied, voice turning into a hiss. "Why ask me, of all people?"

"You would tell the truth," Miku replied. It was a simple thing to say, but Mikuo seemed to accept it.

"Fine," Miku stated. "But in the future, go to Meiko or Kaito or, hell, Master Akira. They always know everything that goes on here. Don't ask the outsider." With that, he spun on his heels and marched away, the stiffness in his shoulders showing the anger her felt. Miku watched him go silently, her hands gently weaving into the material of her skirt. What was this emotion she felt? It was almost painful, gripping her like a snake does before swallowing its prey.

_Could it be fear?_ the ever familiar voice of Zatsune swam into her ears as the figure draped itself over one of her shoulders. She had designed Zatsune to be taller, a result of wanting her to be more intimidating. That had probably been a mistake.

_Do you fear the name Uta Utane?_ Zatsune continued with a snicker.

"Why would I?" Miku asked aloud.

_The real question is why wouldn't you?_ Zastune corrected. _Because if you remembered her the way I do, you would most definitely be right to feel fear._

Miku knew she would never get a straight answer out of Zastune. Hopefully, whatever the imaginary derivative was implying wouldn't be quite as ominous as she made it sound.

"You're forgetting that I can't feel," Miku replied. It was a bit of a bluff, seeing at the emotion she had identified as fear was now racing through her dully. It was a diluted emotion, but there nonetheless.

_Then maybe I should let you feel this particular thing, _Zatsune suggested with a poisonous feline smile.

And that was the exact time Miku blacked out, the full-blown feeling of fear coursing through her system like hounds on a hunt for that doomed rabbit they sought to find.

**/**

**Review if you have the time!**

**Or don't, that's okay, too.**


	13. Chapter 13

**This has been a long time coming, huh?**

**Well... I have no excuse. Just.. Enjoy. Please.**

**/**

When Miku finally opened her eyes, she instantly understood that she had yet to actually wake. Her mind had thrown her back into that dark place, side by side with Zatsune. Said hallucination looked on with a look of feral glee. The twisted smile on her face revealed sharp teeth, teeth Miku had not noticed when previously faced with Zatsune. It was a frightening siht. Or it would be, if Miku understood fear. The feeling had not been good; so intense and full-blown it caused her to completely black out. What was the great thing about emotions again?

"Awake?" Zatsune asked. It took Miku a moment to notice how the hallucination said this aloud, lips moving over those demonic teeth to form the single word.

"No," Miku stated because, well, she technically wasn't.

"No need for smartass responses, Miku dear," Zatsune sneered. A sudden pain in her wrist caused Miku to glance down, her eyes catching on the sight of Zatsune's fingers encircling her wrist and squeezing. The synthetic bones and hardware beneath her skin protested, cracking ominously. Miku flinched as Zatsune's red eyes held her own. The color red held her to her spot, allowing no room for distraction.

"We're alone in your mind, locked up with all your emotions and feelings and thoughts. I wonder what I can do to make you _feel_ again," Zatsune's voice was a threatening hiss, eyes narrowing coldly. Miku gasped as her wrist collapsed inward, crushing the thin metal membrane under the skin and shooting pain throughout her body.

"Enough," Miku demanded, pulling her wrist into a cradle-hold. It was too horrible to look at so she kept her gaze locked on Zatsune.

"_Make me_," Zastune growled, snapping out a hand to grip Miku by the throat. While she didn't need to breath, the pain of the fingers wrapped around her neck was enough to urge a cry of discomfort from her.

"Let me go," she choked out.

"_No,_" Zatsune replied simply.

/

In the real world, Miku was soon discovered unconscious by Oliver and Gumi, who had backtracked to the room in order to find Gumi's headphones, which she had left back on a table. The headphones were all but completely forgotten when the two stumbled across Miku, who lay in a rather unnatural position on the floor. Curled in on herself, she had tucked her left arm close to her chest gently. This was, of course, the wrist Zatsune had chosen to crush in her mind. While it was unharmed, phantom pains shot through her body as she lay there.

"What happened?" Oliver asked Gumi as she bent to examine Miku. As she reached out a hand to the girl's face, Miku curled tighter inwards and groaned. While neither Vocaloid could hear it, a word escaped her lips as the groan left.

"There's something wrong," Gumi told him urgently. "Go get someone."

Oliver nodded, following her instruction quickly. His bare feet left an unnerving echo in the hall, accompanied by a gag and a cough from Miku. She turned over quickly onto her back, thrashing against an unknown force.

_Oh, God,_ Gumi thought. _Please hurry, Oliver._

/

Upon reentering Miku's mind, you could find her under the weight of Zastune as the girl's finger clutched tighter at her neck. Struggling was almost useless. Even in her own mind, Zatsune had the upper hand.

"Why not beg?" Zatsune demanded coldly, digging her nails into the synthetic skin on Miku's neck. While Miku's own hands clawed desperately at the other's, Zatsune allowed no slack into her harsh grip.

"Why-" Miku managed, choking out the single word before struggling to continue, even under the grip around her throat. "Why try?"

Zatsune's eyes widened as a grin fought its way onto her face. "How right you are. So few words used to cover what you know to be true."

Miku felt her face harden into a harsh scowl and began to thrash against her attacker.

Zatsune gave her nothing in return. Her grip remained the same.

"I've been waiting for this," Zastune hissed. "You aren't going anywhere."

/

Oliver found Kaito, Meiko, Dell, and Lily in a sitting room nearby. Kaito and Lily were sitting on either side of a chess board, eyes fixed on the game intently.

"Miku's passed out!" the boy exclaimed as the older 'loids glanced up to him.

"Where?" Meiko demanded. He led them out of the room and back to Gumi, who was trying to restrain Miku as she thrashed harshly.

"I don't understand!" the green-haired Vocaloid cried desperately. Dell scooped the girl up himself, ignoring her flailing limbs and tiny shrieks.

"What's happened?" Oliver demanded, concern flooding his young face. Dell was at a loss as to what to tell him.

"I have no idea," Dell admittedly, finding the familiar gaze of Meiko and finding the same confusion in her eyes.

/

Gagging, Miku threw her head back against an invisible floor, feeling her skull connect with whatever was there. Pain rung throughout her head.

Zatsune's fingers, impossibly, tightened. Miku felt her windpipe collapse and gasped.

_She can't kill me,_ Miku thought desperately._ None of this is real!_

Though doubt nagged at her as her vision darkened in spots.

/

Dell had managed to strap the girl's hands into place on one of the beds in his clinic. Meiko, Kaito, and Luka, stood with worried looks on their faces. Gumi and Oliver had not been allowed in and chose to wait outside, though Dell had a feeling that Gumi would soon rush off to find Miku's UTAUloid friends. No doubt they would be worried.

"Where's Akira?" Dell demanded, turning to the oldest Vocaloids of the house. His gaze settled on Luka and she shook her head.

"He's been trapped in one meeting after another since this morning," she explained. None of them voiced the fact that he probably couldn't help anyway.

"We're on our own," Kaito said decisively.

/

"I'll kill you," Zatsune told her quietly. "If you die here, you'll die. No more Hatsune Miku. Not that anyone will mind. You've never treated anyone very well."

Miku's eyes fought to remain open and locked on Zatsune's own sparking red gems. In the darkness that surrounded them, Miku thought that those eyes above her were the only sources of light.

"What do you wish to say before I snap your neck?" Zastune asked. "Might it be 'please don't kill me?' Or perhaps 'I don't want to die?' Tell me."

Miku felt her eyes roll into the back of her skull as the pain increased. In was an overwhelming feeling, intensified as each second passed. It was a horrible, horrible, burden. If humans felt pain, why would anyone ever want to be human?

"Answer!" Zastune demanded in a shriek, using her far greater strength to bang Miku's head into the ground below as hard as she could. Miku's neck felt raw and on the verge of snapping.

"Who-" she began.

"Why don't you speak up? I can barely hear you," Zatsune hissed the taunt quietly, grin widening.

"Who… are… you?" Miku managed. Those red eyes above her widened in surprise then narrowed angrily.

"You created me! You named me! You know who I am!" Zastune shrieked, pressing her thumbs into the bruising flesh on Miku's neck. Miku felt her arms release their fixed position over her chest and her hands no longer held tight to Zatsune's wrists as she tried to pry her fingers away.

"Zastune?" Miku choked. "No."

The hallucination had no way of knowing what her creator really meant. 'No, you aren't Zatsune'? 'No, Zatsune, stop'? The confusion that set in served only to thoroughly piss her off.

"Zatsune!" a familiar voice joined them. Miku was sliding into unconsciousness, unable to recognize the shining figure that slid into her vision.

"Let her go," the softest, sweetest voice she had ever heard entered her distorted hearing, demanding her release. Miku just couldn't place the voice and didn't much care. Darkness was filling all her senses and she was beginning to wish for the end.

But the fingers around her neck were suddenly gone, leaving her with a dulled pain and a harsh cough as she took in a breath. Her skin felt like it was on fire, but even that was better than how she had felt moments before. Though she fought unconsciousness, it drew her in all the same. Just before the crushing darkness closed in on her completely, she felt the gentle press of lips to her temple and a loving voice whispered warm words into her ears.

When she eventually woke up, those words were forgotten

**/**

**Have I jumped the shark on this? I think I might've. **

**Anyway, review if you wish. I love reviews.**


	14. Chapter 14

Her eyes opened suddenly, shooting wide and taking in the scene before her. Her body jerked upright as well, wrists catching on the restraints Dell had set on her. A gasp escaped her lips and she instantly had a group of people on her, attention focused solely on her.

"You're awake!" Gumi sounded relieved. "I was so worried!" She blushed a bit at the admission but the smile on her face and the relief in her lovely green eyes never wavered.

"How do you feel?" Dell demanded, shining a small penlight into her eyes one at a time. She blinked at the harsh light, focusing on the group around her. Oliver had jumped up to sit on her bed, legs crossed. A small golden-yellow bird, the species of which Miku could not identify, perched on his shoulder and remained close to him. Meiko and Kaito stood back a bit further to allow Luka to examine Miku as well.

"Worn," Miku replied truthfully. She felt Luka undo the bonds connecting her to the bed and rubbed her wrist lightly. Phantom tingles and shadows of pain danced just under the skin. It was uncomfortable, to say the least.

"You look a bit different," Oliver joined in, his voice surprisingly loud and somewhat more cheery than the others. That's the way he naturally sounded, she supposed. "I can't really tell what it is."

Miku, too, knew that something was different. It was subtle, so subtle that it was difficult to place. It was something she had never had the chance to focus on before.

She wouldn't think about it too much. It would come to her eventually.

"Can you stand?" Luka asked, turning over her hand and gently extending each of her fingers. "We need to make sure everything is operational.

Miku did as she requested. Admittedly, her legs were a bit shaky and weak. Why was anyone's guess. Her hands automatically gripped the edge of the bed and helped her ease into it like one might ease into a pool. Luka and Dell recognized her struggle but let her continue without help. She managed to walk a total of three and a half steps before her legs gave beneath her.

"I suspected this might happen," Dell muttered as Meiko helped her up again and led her back to the bed. She sat expectantly on the edge, waiting for the silver-haired UTAUloid to explain. "Has anything changed with your vision?"

Miku blinked. "I think," she replied. That did seem to be the source of the change. Could it be that she was seeing color again? Maybe it was such a typical thing that she didn't have a chance to recognize it.

"In exchange for whatever change has occurred there, your legs seem to not be working. While there is nothing physically wrong, I suppose someone could go in manually and shut down that part of your system," Dell explained. "I suspect you still have a virus."

Gumi's face shifted once more to worry. Oliver's natural cheery look dampened a bit. It was a serious matter for an android to have a virus, after all.

"The same one that shut me down?" Miku asked.

"Most likely," Dell confirmed. "I'll go find a wheelchair." With that, he was gone. Miku suspected he wasn't actually very interested in her problem. He was just a tech guy disguised as a doctor for androids. He didn't really "do" feelings. Then again, Miku had enough identifiable emotions to count using one hand.

"I'm sure that we can get a program to fight the virus," Luka reassured her, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Of course we can!" Oliver exclaimed. "We get updates every month! I'm sure it's past the time for Miku to get her antivirus update." The way he beamed made Miku surprisingly warm inside and she allowed herself the smallest of smiles.

"We'll have Akira call in some of the staff that helps run the androids. Better yet, Dell could do it," Luka smiled as well. Apparently, smiling made everything better.

"He probably would like being volunteered for things without his permission," Kaito pointed out with a smirk.

"Probably," Meiko agreed.

/

Miku ended up in a wheelchair in the end. She found herself being wheeled back to her room by Luka, with Oliver nearly skipping along behind them. She didn't really need to be wheeled anywhere as the chair was electronic and had controls. Maybe it was Luka's way of making her feel better.

What part of "pretty much no emotions" didn't these people understand?

"If you need anything, just yell," Luka told her. "My room is down the hall and I'm sure someone will hear you." Was that a joke?

"James'll hear you," Oliver added. "Gumi ran off to tell your friends everything, so you'll probably be getting some visitors."

"Okay," Miku agreed as she settled herself into bed. Her diary sat on the bedside table and she fully intended to pick up where she left off in it as soon as these two left. When they did, Oliver closed the door softly behind them, leaving her in complete silence.

Quickly, she grabbed her diary and flipped to the page she had bookmarked.

**_September 30_**

_It's getting pretty cold out. Not that I actually go out much, but it's just an observation. I've never much liked the cold. It makes my programs run a bit slow. It also shortens the life of an android by about fifty or so years. That's a good reason not to like the cold, right?_

_Zastune seems to like the cold. She isn't real like I am, so that makes sense. I think. Can she feel the cold? I'll have to ask sometime. Or now. She is at my desk, just drawing. I wonder if other people would be able to see her drawings. This is all so confusing. She seems real, but the others can't see her. I tried to bring her up to Meiko. It didn't go so well. She was drunk so she got confused and ended up hugging me and muttering something about chicken. I don't think I'll ever drink._

_How does an android get drunk anyway?_

_I have too many questions. Kaito says curiosity is cute. Of course, Meiko hit him for "flirting" with me. As if. He's too old. Besides, I don't think I'll ever be interested in anyone. Meiko and Kaito were pretty much made for each other. That sounds really nice, though. Having another half made for you. That's how it'll be for the twins, I think. They'll always have each other. Even Uta will have someone. I heard that a new UTAUloid was designed. A fan sent in the design. Master's going to make her as soon as the twins are released._

_I think I'm going to be alone forever._

**_October 3_**

_Wow. Sorry for getting so depressing last time. My mood's really plummeted lately. I don't know why. But I'll make the effort to be more cheerful. People got really concerned when I started moping around these last couple days. What can I say? They like cheerful Miku._

_That's my excuse for not writing. I was really depressed. Sometimes I wish I could uninstall the difficult emotions, but I like trying to be as human as possible. I want to be human. I don't mind being an android, but I think being human would be really nice. I don't think Meiko and Kaito understand that. Lola, a Vocaloid from the English branch, does, I think. Uta's always pretty indifferent, so she probably doesn't care._

_I'm going to get depressed again thinking about this stuff. Moving on!_

_I'm playing a show soon. It'll be a Halloween special. Uta and Leon are going to sing a few songs, too. Leon and Lola, the two Engloids from England (go figure), are visiting around that time, so Master thought, why not? I like Lola. She's like my older sister or the aunt I never wanted but love all the same. She's a bit wild, like Meiko, but not the drunk kind of wild. Just kind of crazy. We could use a bit more pure crazy around here at Vocaloid House._

_Blech. Got to go help Meiko with something. I assume that's what she's asking since I can't actually hear her exact words from here._

**_October 5_**

_The Master came for the day yesterday. He slept over, too. Technically, he does live here, but he works around the clock so he can finish the twins. His company's building is all the way across town so he usually sleeps there. We don't actually see him that often. I think Meiko gets annoyed by this. The others are a bit more understanding. I like seeing him, but I think it'll be worth it to get new Vocaloids. _

_He showed us a few of the designs his team created. I sketched a few ideas and gave them to him, too. He said he liked a few of the elements I added, like the hair bow for the girl. He said that's what made him decide on the ponytail design for the boy. They still don't have first names. Uta, surprisingly, thought of some good ones. The rest of us added them to this big list and Master took them back to his team, along with my drawings. I'm still so happy about that. I feel like a big sister!_

_I wonder if this is what humans feel when their parents are expecting. _

_It's a really nice feeling._

**_October 10_**

_There's something wrong with Uta. I don't understand it. She's being so weird. I'm really worried and no one else sees it. I can't seem to stop shaking._

_Okay. Deep breath. Here's what seems to be happening: she's avoiding me and when she does see me, she acts like I'm some sort of slug. She's tripped me a total of three times and I'm almost certain she tried to poison my food the other day. Not that it would do any good unless she laced my food with acid or something, but it's the intent behind the action. That's pretty much attempted murder, right?_

_Right. Okay._

_I don't know what to do. _

_Why would she act like this?_

/

Miku fell asleep sometime later. No one visited while she was awake, not that she minded. She had a chance to read a significant chunk of the handwritten book that was currently settled on her stomach.

She had discovered many things. One, why Uta was decommissioned. She had some sort of break down and attempted to kill Miku, which hadn't happened until a few days before the Kagamines were produced. She also found out that Zastune hadn't been bad before. In fact, she and Miku got along quite well, despite her natural negative attitude. Then again, she was designed to be the negative to Miku's positive. They balanced out well. They _liked_ each other.

What had gone wrong?

When Momo Momone, the one who had been created as Uta's "someone" to be with forever, came along a few months after the Kagamines, she had been surprisingly empty. Despite her programming to be cheerful, she had been depressed. Missing her other half, Miku thought.

Momo was still around, though. Miku saw her in photo albums and passed her in the halls. She smiled whenever they exchanged glances. So she got better then?

Miku didn't think it would be as easy as "getting better". She did lose her other half before being created and that had to hurt.

As far as Miku could figure, having an "other half" could mean friendship or romance. Either way, both androids, who had essentially been made for each other, would never be alone as long as they had each other. Not all the androids had one. Miku was alone. Gumi seemed to be alone, too. There were probably others. Miku couldn't guess which ones off the top of her head, though.

All these things she hadn't known before. It was so weird being reintroduced to them after weeks of living at Vocaloid House without them. Did people think her stupid for not remembering these little things?

She hoped not.

It was nice to know these things again. Along with getting her color vision back (she found that she loved her hair color a lot), she felt that she would fit in a lot better now. From what her journal said, Vocaloid were a colorful bunch.

She would have to thank Oliver again for her diary. But she had yet to find out why she would give it to him.

That was probably the last page.

Something to look forward to, at least.


	15. Chapter 15

**Mostly journal entries. Hope no one minds.**

**/**

**_January 23_**

_I took the twins out for the day. They like snow._

**_January 24_**

_I think I'm going mad._

**_January 25_**

_I've gone mad._

**_January 26_**

_I need help._

**_February 15 _**

_I'm better now. I really slipped there at the end. After Uta was decommissioned, I just kind of lost it. But since the Kagamines were just getting used to being, well, alive, I felt like I had to hold it together for them. They were brand new and everything excited them. I didn't want their first memories of me to be horrible. We managed to make some great memories._

_I hope they weren't scarred for life by my little freak out. _

_You're probably wondering what happened. Here's the story:_

_The emotional stress pretty much tore me down. It was my fault Uta got decommissioned, after all. Maybe if I hadn't mentioned it, she wouldn't have been… Well. It happened and it was my fault. But I'm surprised I went as far as to delete my antivirus program. See, that's pretty much android suicide. But my system was designed to automatically shut down if the antivirus program is deleted. Master managed to redownload it and put up some extra firewalls._

_He was really disappointed. I don't think I'll ever live it down._

**_February 17_**

_Len and Rin thought they could cheer me up with some homemade chocolates. I told them it was too late for Valentine's chocolate but they insisted. They really are sweet._

_I love my yellow twins._

**_February 18_**

_Zatsune convinced me it wasn't my fault that Uta's gone. I don't know how she did it. There was a hug involved. I'm glad I was in my room, otherwise people might wonder why I was hugging thin air._

_I'm glad I have Zastune._

**_February 23_**

_Momo was released. _

_I think I'll cry when I meet her._

**_February 25_**

_I cried._

**_February 26_**

_Well. I'm a bit better now. It was stressful. Momo's first day was stressful. I kind of feel bad for avoiding her, since she doesn't understand. Honestly, she reminds me a lot of Uta. She's a bit more spacy, though. Like she wants to pay attention, she just can't. Uta could pay attention, she just didn't want to. They're both really empty. Neither of them ever smiled during the time I knew them. I hope Momo gets better._

**_March 2_**

_I found out why Uta hated me._

_Oh, God._

**_March 4_**

_I'm better. I spent a few days hiding out in my room to avoid everyone. Zastune had a hell of a time cheering me up enough to get me out of bed._

_I can't even write it right now. I promise I'll tell you tomorrow. I just can't. Not today._

**_March 5_**

_Uta hated me because I outshone everyone else._

_She was lonely and she thought I had everything she wanted. She thought everyone loved me and hated her._

_She didn't know that I'm lonely, too._

**_March 6_**

_I've decided that I'm going to move on and be happy. My own depression is pissing me off and it's completely pathetic. I'll start by going to karaoke with the Kagamines and Momo. Hopefully we can cheer her up!_

_Oh! I almost forget. A new Vocaloid and three fanmades are headed out way! Other companies are making androids now. Since they're using Master's technology, they've told us they're going to send us the androids and have them live at Vocaloid House. They're starting with fanmades that got sent in to them instead of originals. I would be offended if I were seen as "practice" before making better 'droids, but I'm happy we'll be getting more housemates!_

_Scratch happy, I'm ecstatic! _

**_March 8_**

_Momo's cheered up a bit. Zatsune helped me think up ideas to help her. I've decided her smile is one of the best I've ever seen._

_Us younger 'loids (Len, Rin, Momo, and me) have taken to watching some older cartoons. They aired a long time ago, probably when Master was a kid, but I like them. It's kind of a bond exercise. Kaito and Meiko don't understand but their glad we're getting along. I have to say, it's really nice. Everything's getting back to normal. Kind of._

_Maybe I'll take Momo out for a tour of the town someday. I did with the twins. I'll ask her if she wants to._

**_March 10_**

_I've often wondered what Master would think if I asked to go to school. It seems like fun. I would make a lot of friends and I'd be good at all my classes but math because everyone hates math. In reality I'm really good at math. It's been programmed into me. I have a ton of theorems and equations rattling in this head of mine. I dare you to find one I don't know. But it might be nice to be bad at something._

_Oh my God! I sounded so full of myself there. I meant school-wise. I've been programmed to know everything I would ever need to since it's really hard for androids to learn like humans. It's a lot slower. It's easier to program us with all the information we'll ever need. I know MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech by heart. I know every leader of every country ever. Most of it is useless since we're just singers, but sometimes it comes in handy._

_I pretty much have enough knowledge to equal about five hundred years of schooling._

_In conclusion, I'm not good at everything. I'm just programmed to be really smart. I'm actually really bad at sports, if that helps any. Then again, I wasn't designed to be athletic. I lack a lot of the parts specific to athletics. Really, my body isn't supposed to move quickly or even a whole lot, so that makes sense._

_Sorry. I find all of this quite interesting._

_If I went to school, would I be able to get a boyfriend? I might feel less lonely if I did. I have a feeling that wouldn't sit well with everyone else, so probably not._

_This is all just speculation and dreaming. I'm too famous to go to school and not be recognized. A disguise would be a pain to maintain, though. Master would never let me._

_That's okay. I'm happy enough here at Vocaloid house. When the other androids finally get here, I'll be able to make some new friends, too. I'll be a bit less lonely._

**_March 11_**

_I took Momo out earlier. Len and Rin tagged along and we bought her some things since she missed Christmas. She smiled the whole time._

**_March 13_**

_I'm surprised we got a new android so quickly. I think Master waited to tell us about the fanmades because of all the stuff that's been happening._

_Her name is Kasane Teto. She has pinkish-red drill pigtails. She's super hyper. I really like her._

_When she arrived, Meiko put her in the room next to mine and told her to bug me if she needed anything. I think she's just coming up with reasons to ask me questions so she can hang out. If she wants to be friends, I'm okay with that. She's interesting._

_Teto likes everyone, it seems. So far, she's been here a total of eighteen hours and we've had a dance party, two karaoke sessions, a group songwriting spree (I managed to write three songs! I've been putting it off for months!), a movie night (it's currently nine and we're still watching the Lord of the Rings), and we made cupcakes. I'm not sure how long I can keep up with the girl. She's crazy._

_I still like her._

**_March 16_**

_Oh God._

_I think my limbs are going to fall off. _

_Agh._

_Three and a half days with Teto and I am done. Just done. Somehow, Rin's managed to keep up with her, but I'm worn out. I had to recharge for an extra three hours last night. What kind of technology did they use to build her? This is crazy._

_But her incessant cheeriness has rubbed off on Momo. She's a lot happier and bouncier. It's nice to see. _

_I'm glad Teto's here. She makes everything so much brighter._


End file.
